Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

"Little Lord."

Qi appeared silently behind him, his voice low and respectful.

"Nakamura Shunsuke has destroyed the special weapons brought from the Togo unit according to your orders."

Zhou Zhengqing's fingers paused slightly.

"all?"

"Yes." Qi bowed slightly, "Except for the part that was secretly transported away."

Zhou Zhengqing turned around in surprise: "It's unlikely that they would be so obedient."

Qi continued to report in a low voice: "They did carry out the destruction order. Most of the weapons have been secretly transferred to the waters near Japan, waiting for transport ships to pick them up. The rest have all been burned and buried. However..."

Qi took two steps forward, peered around and whispered a few words.

"I said these bastards wouldn't be so obedient." Zhou Zhengqing suddenly realized, shook his head and smiled helplessly.

Qi didn't respond, but just waited quietly for instructions.

After a moment of silence, Zhou Zhengqing waved his hand.

"Forget it, there's no need to intervene. They've already carried out my orders. As for the rest... just pretend you don't know."

"Hi." Qi bowed deeply and then retreated like a shadow.

The room fell silent again.

Zhou Zhengqing turned around and looked out the window again.

The night grew darker.

Zhou Zhengqing's mouth corners slowly lifted up, revealing a meaningful smile.

"interesting...."

. . . . . . .

In August 1937, the air in Tianjin was filled with tension and anxiety.

After the commander of the Japanese Army's North China Garrison, Seiji Kazuki, personally came to apologize and pay compensation, the situation in this important city in North China changed dramatically.

The next morning, Tianjin residents were horrified to find that the streets were filled with fully armed Japanese military police.

As the sun rose, teams of military police wearing white armbands marched in orderly steps and took over important strongholds throughout the city.

From the edge of the French Concession to the Old Town, from the Haihe River Wharf to the train station, the cold gleam of bayonets flashing in the sun can be seen everywhere.

Inside the Military Police Headquarters, Chief of Staff Nakamura Shunsuke was deploying troops in an orderly manner according to the map.

"Follow General Takazaki's orders." He tapped the map of Tianjin with his baton: "Complete grid-based control of Tianjin within three days..."

In the underground, Mitsuda Shoma and a group of captains, big and small, quickly recorded the orders and marked new sentry posts on the map from time to time.

At the same time, the Tianjin Public Security Maintenance Association was officially brought under the jurisdiction of the Military Police Command.

The chairman of the maintenance association, Gao Lingxuan, stood trembling at the door of the maintenance association to welcome the military police squad that came to station there.

His police officers were forced to wear new armbands and began to carry out patrol duties under the supervision of the military police.

An old police officer privately said to his colleagues: "This is not maintaining law and order, it's clearly being a dog for the Japanese."

On the outskirts of the city, the military police also did not give up.

A checkpoint was set up in every village occupied by the Japanese army, guarded by three to five military police.

In Yangliuqing Town, villagers watched in horror as Japanese soldiers nailed a wooden sign that read "The Imperial Japanese Military Police" to the entrance of the town hall.

An old vegetable seller shook his head and sighed, "I'm afraid life will never go back to the way it was before."

The control at Tianjin Port is particularly strict.

All imported and exported goods must undergo triple inspection, and even fishing boats must obtain special passes to go out to sea.

Dock worker Zhang Laosan complained, "Now, to ship a cargo, you have to go to three government offices just to get the stamps. The Japanese have the final say."

In this solemn atmosphere, Zhou Zhengqing seemed extremely busy, with people frequently entering and leaving the gendarmerie headquarters.

Someone saw the president of the South Manchuria Railway, Yosuke Matsuoka, leading his men into the military police headquarters late at night.

People familiar with the matter revealed that they are planning a major project involving interests between Manchukuo and Tianjin.

The person in charge of all this is a man named Shen Xilin.

In sharp contrast to Shen Xilin is Xu Zhongyi's situation.

Since the transaction was called off, this once versatile man has become a recluse.

Every night he would sigh over the account book in the study, and the cigarette butts in the ashtray would pile up like a small mountain.

. . . . . . . . . .

August 1937, 8, Shanghai Hongqiao Airport.

The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the tarmac, giving this sultry summer evening a bloody hue.

The barbed wire fence surrounding the airport trembled slightly in the breeze.

The soldiers of the security team were patrolling vigilantly. Since the signing of the "Songhu Armistice Agreement", this international metropolis has become an undefended city, relying only on the police corps and two security regiments to maintain fragile public security.

Suddenly, a Ford sedan flying the Japanese naval flag roared towards the airport gate, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Inside the car, Japanese Marine Corps Lieutenant Oyama Isamu had a ferocious look on his face, and sailor Saito Yosho in the passenger seat was honking the horn frantically.

"Charge! Let these Chinese know how powerful the Empire of Japan is!" Oyama Isamu roared hysterically.

"Stop! Stop immediately!" Security team leader Wang Desheng raised his rifle, his voice trembling.

But instead of slowing down, the car accelerated and crashed into the checkpoint.

A crisp gunshot pierced the sky, followed by intensive shooting.

When the smoke cleared, the car had crashed into a sandbag bunker, the windshield was riddled with bullet holes, and two Japanese soldiers were killed on the spot.

The news spread like wildfire.

When Zhou Zhengqing, who was far away in Tianjin, received the secret message, the coffee cup in his hand fell to the ground with a "bang".

He walked quickly towards the huge map of Shanghai on the office wall, and his slender fingers traced the winding curve of the Huangpu River.

"Is it finally coming?" he whispered to himself, his eyes flashing with complex light.

Late at night on August 8, Shanghai Mayor Yu Hongjun urgently summoned the Japanese Consul in Shanghai, Okamoto Kiyoshi.

In the living room, the crystal chandelier stretched the shadows of the two people very long.

"This is a complete misunderstanding," Yu Hongjun wiped the sweat from his forehead. "We can immediately launch a joint investigation..."

Okamoto interrupted with a sneer: "The soldiers of the Empire of Japan will not die in vain!"

The next day, representatives from China and Japan conducted an on-site inspection at Hongqiao Airport.

Commander of the Japanese Navy's Third Fleet, Kiyoshi Hasegawa, stood on the deck of the flagship "Izumo". The outline of the Bund in Shanghai was clearly visible through the telescope.

He grinned at his adjutant and said, "Tell the media that the Imperial Navy has no intention of escalating the situation."

But secretly, an encrypted telegram has been issued: Send reinforcements to Shanghai immediately!

On August 8, the Japanese representative at the negotiation table suddenly stood up and said, "The murderer must be severely punished! All Chinese troops must be withdrawn! All fortifications must be dismantled!"

The Nanjing government’s response shocked everyone: “We will never accept any unreasonable demands!”

On the same day, Zhang Zhizhong, commander of the Beijing-Shanghai Garrison, received the highest order at his headquarters in Suzhou.

He stared at the huge battle map on the wall, and the red pencil in his hand heavily drew the route from Suzhou to Shanghai.

"Order: 87th and 88th Divisions, move out immediately!"

August 1937, 8, early morning in Shanghai.

A thin mist shrouded this oriental metropolis. The sound of train whistles on the Huangpu River continued as usual. Steam was rising from the breakfast stalls on the street, and newsboys hurried past holding the latest edition of Shen Bao.

However, when the citizens opened their doors and prepared to start a new day as usual, the scene before them made them stunned.

Army! The Chinese army!

For five years, since the signing of the Songhu Armistice Agreement, Shanghai has become an undefended city.

Apart from the police and security forces, citizens have never seen a formal Chinese army.

At this moment, the streets were filled with fully armed soldiers. They wore German M35 helmets with the Blue Sky and White Sun emblem painted on them, neat military uniforms, and slung brand new Zhongzheng rifles over their shoulders. The barrels shone with a cold metallic luster in the morning light.

They marched in step, their faces solemn, their eyes revealing the determination of someone who had been through many battles.

"It's the 87th Division! The 88th Division!" A gray-haired old man in the crowd shouted excitedly, "Five years ago, they were the ones fighting the Japanese right here!"

Yes, this is the army that Shanghai citizens are most familiar with, the German-equipped division!

During the January 1932th Battle of Shanghai in 87, the 88th and th Divisions fought bloody battles here, fighting the Japanese army for more than days and refusing to give up an inch of land.

Today, they return again with better equipment, more rigorous training, and the highest expectations of the Nanjing government.

These two troops are the absolute trump cards under Zhang Zhizhong's command and the most elite troops in the entire Nanjing government's central military system.

They are equipped with German weapons and receive rigorous training from German military advisers, and their tactical skills far exceed those of ordinary troops.

In the Nanjing government's military reorganization plan, the 87th and 88th Divisions were positioned as "teaching divisions." Their mission was not only to fight, but also to serve as "seed troops" to train backbone officers for other troops.

Because of this, these two troops rarely participate in actual combat on weekdays, and instead focus on honing their tactics on the training grounds.

But today, the Nanjing government did not hesitate to send them to the Battle of Shanghai. This was a gamble!

The top leaders knew very well that if even the 87th and 88th Divisions could not suppress the Japanese army on the battlefield, the subsequent full-scale war would be even more difficult.

Therefore, this operation was not only to defend Shanghai, but also to show Japan the strength of the Chinese army and force them to return to the negotiating table rather than continue to expand the war.

However, the Japanese Navy's Third Fleet had already been eyeing the Huangpu River, thousands of Marines were gathering in Hongkou, and more reinforcements were coming from the mainland.

Songhu is about to become a purgatory of blood and fire.