Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

As the night deepened, the lights in the various concessions in Shanghai were still bright, but the shadow of war had already enveloped the entire city.

Zhang Zhizhong stood by the window, gazing at the twinkling stars on the Huangpu River, and muttered to himself, "We can't lose this battle again!"

The Chinese Air Force, under the order of the Nanjing government, also showed its sword for the first time.

Although China was still a backward agricultural country at that time and its aviation industry was almost blank, the few Chinese Air Force officers and soldiers still resolutely responded to the order and drove the fighter planes purchased from abroad to the Shanghai battlefield.

Nominally, the Chinese Air Force has more than 500 aircraft, but less than of them are truly combat-capable. Every fighter jet is a valuable asset, and the loss of one means one less.

On the eve of the general offensive, the Nanjing Command decided to use the Air Force to preemptively attack the Japanese army's key strongholds in Shanghai.

This air force, assisted in training and commanded by retired American pilot Claire Lee Chennault, who later became the commander of the Flying Tigers, was responsible for the early bombing missions.

They flew old fighter planes and launched fierce bombings on the areas of Hongkou and Yangshupu where the Japanese troops were entrenched.

The Gongda Cotton Mill served as the temporary headquarters of the Japanese army during the Battle of Shanghai in 1932. Today, this sturdy reinforced concrete factory not only stores a large amount of military supplies but has also been transformed into a key defensive fortification for the Japanese army.

As the bombs rained down, the mill burst into flames.

Huishan Wharf, an important freight hub connecting Shanghai with ports such as Tianjin, Fuzhou and Taiwan, has 10 giant warehouses with a total capacity of 4 tons.

The Japanese army converted it into an arsenal and stockpiled large amounts of ammunition and supplies.

During the bombing, multiple bombs hit the warehouse directly. The explosions were deafening, flames shot up into the sky, and the dock was engulfed in flames.

The Japanese Naval Headquarters, a five-story reinforced concrete building located at the intersection of Bazi Road and Huangdu Road in Hongkou District, is shaped like a "turtle shell" and has extremely strong fortifications.

It was completed in 1924 and after expansion in 1929, it became the core command center of the Japanese army in Shanghai.

Although the bomb failed to cause any direct damage, the violent explosion still caused the Japanese army's communications to be interrupted for a time.

When the citizens looked up at the sky and saw China's own fighter planes roaring past and the bombs they dropped exploding on the Japanese strongholds, the whole city instantly boiled over.

Crowds poured out from the streets and alleys, cheering and shouting one after another.

Many people were so excited that tears welled up in their eyes. This was the first time they witnessed the Chinese Air Force fighting in their own skies.

However, behind the joy of victory is a heavy reality. The Chinese Air Force's fighter jets are of backward performance, limited in number, and the pilots are inexperienced. Every takeoff means a huge risk.

But even so, these young pilots still rushed towards the enemy without hesitation and defended the country's skies with their lives.

Before the smoke from the air raid had cleared, General Zhang Zhizhong decisively issued the order for a general attack.

The 87th Division penetrated Yangshupu like a sharp sword, while the 88th Division was tasked with a more difficult task, which was to attack the core stronghold of the Japanese Navy Headquarters.

The Japanese Navy Headquarters, this seemingly ordinary five-story building, is actually a solid fortress carefully constructed by the Japanese army.

The entire building is cast with high-strength reinforced concrete, and the wall thickness is astonishingly one meter. Ordinary artillery shells cannot shake it at all.

The spacious playground in the middle alone can easily accommodate more than 2000 soldiers.

There are several armored vehicles parked on the first floor, ready to support combat at any time.

There is a sturdy watchtower on the roof, with dense machine gun positions and artillery installed to form a cross-fire network.

In Shanghai in 1937, this height was enough to overlook the entire Hongkou District. The Japanese soldiers stationed there could use their superior position to block every street and alley with machine guns.

This "steel fortress" is like a nail, firmly nailed to the core position of Hongkou District.

In order to tear open the iron fortress of the Japanese Navy Headquarters, General Zhang Zhizhong spared no expense and transferred the most elite fire support from Nanjing, including the 150mm heavy howitzers that had just been purchased from Germany.

This was the largest caliber and most advanced artillery equipped by the Nanjing government at the time, and it was also one of only 24 "battlefield truths" in the entire Chinese land.

However, when the first shell whizzed towards the Japanese headquarters, everyone fell silent.

A 150mm caliber artillery shell exploded on a reinforced concrete wall, but could only leave shallow bullet marks on a one-meter-thick wall.

After dozens of consecutive artillery bombardments, this "steel fortress" remained motionless. Instead, the Japanese counterattack fire fired from the bunker began to accurately reap the lives of the artillery positions.

The anxious Zhang Zhizhong could only pin his hopes on the attack of the 88th Division.

Huang Meixing, commander of the 264th Brigade, who was responsible for the main attack, was standing in front of the Bazi Bridge at this moment, looking at the dense Japanese strongholds in front of him, with the flames of revenge burning in his eyes.

This brave general from Pingyuan County, Guangdong, was an ace commander of the Central Army who graduated from the first class of Whampoa Military Academy.

During the Battle of Shanghai in 1932, he led a regiment in a bloody battle with the Japanese army in Miaohang for two days and two nights, and earned the nickname "Yellow Tiger" for his fierce fighting style.

He had never forgotten the shame of being forced to withdraw from Shanghai, and now, returning to the battlefield, he vowed to wash away the regrets of that year with the blood of the Japanese soldiers.

"Hit them!" Huang Meixing waved his whip, and the soldiers of the 264th Brigade rushed towards the Japanese stronghold like a tide.

In front of the Eight-Character Bridge, the sound of gunfire suddenly broke out. The Japanese army had already built a tight crossfire network here, with machine gun positions, bunkers, and trenches layered on top of each other.

As the assault troops of the 264th Brigade approached the bridgehead, they were hit head-on.

The first charge was repelled, the second charge was defeated again, and the third charge still failed to make any progress.

The fierce firepower of the Japanese army reaped the lives of Chinese soldiers like a sickle.

In just one day, the 264th Brigade paid a heavy price with thousands of casualties.

Huang Meixing watched with his own eyes as the soldiers he had personally trained fell one by one. Seven company commanders of the 527th Regiment were carried down in one day.

"Brigade Commander, the casualties are too heavy..." the adjutant reported in a trembling voice.

Huang Meixing gritted his teeth and clenched his fists: "Even if the entire brigade is wiped out, we must take the Eight-Character Bridge!"

As night fell, corpses were scattered all over the area in front of the Bazi Bridge.

Searchlights on the Japanese positions swept across the battlefield from time to time, illuminating the Chinese soldiers who were still attacking tenaciously.

Huang Meixing looked at the dark Japanese strongholds ahead and knew that the real bloody battle had just begun.

This seemingly ordinary bridge has become a touchstone to test the will of Chinese soldiers. If you want to attack the Japanese headquarters, you must remove this peripheral military stronghold!

The soldiers of the 264th charged into the hail of Japanese bullets.

Bullets rained down like raindrops, creating rows of bullet holes on the street.

People in the charging team kept falling, but the soldiers behind them continued to charge forward.

The Japanese army fired crazily from bunkers, behind windows, and on rooftops.

Grenades exploded among the attacking forces, raising clouds of blood. Some soldiers tried to blow up the bunker with cluster grenades, but were hit before they could get close.

The machine gun fire on the armored vehicles was particularly fierce, tearing gaps in the charging troops.

By dusk, the 264th Division had suffered heavy casualties.

Zhang Zhizhong stood in the command center, looking at the battle situation through a telescope with a frown on his face.

He knew that this battle had just begun.

The 88th Division will definitely pay a heavier price.

But the order has been given and there is no turning back.