Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

As he spoke, Mitsuda Shoma took another step forward while Matsui Iwane's face turned black. He did something that surprised everyone. He stretched out his hand and gently tapped the general star on Matsui Iwane's epaulettes.

This was an extremely insulting aristocratic warning, and all the officers present gasped.

"Commander." Mitsuda Shoma's voice was low, but every word was as sharp as an ice blade. The "rights" of our Military Police Headquarters come from the royal charter, and you... do you want to gamble on your family's future?

After a brief pause to let the weight of his words sink in, Mitsuda Shoma continued, "If the flag of the 101st Division's regiment is lost here, bringing shame upon the gift bestowed upon His Majesty, it would be an insult to the Emperor. We, men of noble birth, would absolutely dare to lay hands on you.

The headline of tomorrow's Asahi Shimbun will be "Matsui Iwane commits treason!!!"

Matsui Iwane froze in place, his face turning from white to red, and then from red to blue.

His clenched fists trembled slightly, but he did not flare up in the end. As a general who was not of noble birth, he was well aware of the power of these ancient families within the imperial system.

Just like the Takazaki family, they not only have a marriage relationship with the royal family, but also have complex influence in the military and political circles.

A long silence fell over the command center.

The roar of artillery fire in the distance seemed distant and unreal. Finally, Matsui Iwane took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "The 101st Division... retreat to Baoshan Town for rest!!!"

But I will report this matter directly to the military!!!"

Mitsuda Shoma bowed slightly, his expression remaining unchanged. "A wise decision, Commander. The Empire will remember your contribution to preserving the military's strength."

Matsui Iwane's face turned dark, and he turned and walked out. After leaving the command center, he let out a long roar to the sky to vent his frustration.

As Matsui Iwane compromised, the atmosphere in the command center suddenly became lively.

Everyone's face was filled with disbelief and a hint of hidden excitement.

Division Commander Masaki Ito walked up to Mitsuda Shoma and bowed deeply: "Staff Officer Mitsuda, thank you for your...intervention." His voice was filled with complex emotions.

After returning the greeting, Mitsuda Shoma whispered, "Captain Ito, please organize an orderly retreat immediately. I will arrange for the military police to assist in maintaining order."

He turned to Major Jiro Yamaguchi and said, "Yamaguchi-kun, immediately notify all military police units to escort the regimental flag and safely evacuate the battlefield according to the predetermined plan."

"Hi!" Yamaguchi Jiro stood at attention, saluted, and walked away quickly.

. . . . . . . . . . .

The order to retreat was officially issued.

Signalmen were busy shuttling between various communication equipment, conveying the retreat order to each regiment and brigade.

When the soldiers on the front line heard the news, they could hardly believe their ears.

Many people were in tears, as they had thought they would die in this foreign land.

At the division headquarters, Mitsuda Shoma did not leave immediately, but discussed the retreat route and arrangements in detail with Ito Masaki.

"The 101st Regiment will retreat first. They've suffered the heaviest casualties, so we need to prioritize transport." Ito Masaki's finger traced across the map. "The 149th Regiment will cover the rear, but they must maintain contact with the enemy and not let them detect our intentions."

Chief of Staff Colonel Sato said worriedly: "Division Commander, such a large-scale retreat is difficult to completely conceal. Once the Chinese army discovers it, they are likely to launch a pursuit."

Mitsuda Shojin interjected, "Don't worry about that. Commander Takazaki has arranged for the naval aviation team to provide cover patrols. If necessary, they can provide bomber formations to prevent the Chinese army from pursuing us."

"That's great!" All the officers in the command center breathed a sigh of relief. As soldiers in the army, they should not have expected help from the navy, but at this time when they were trying to escape, it was indeed a blessing to have the cover of aircraft.

Outside the command center, preparations for retreat are underway intensively.

Although the soldiers were exhausted, they still forced themselves to pack their equipment when they heard that they could evacuate this hellish battlefield.

The wounded were carried onto transport vehicles first, and medical soldiers were busy providing emergency treatment to the seriously injured.

Private First Class Hiroki Tanaka helped his comrades carry a soldier with a leg injury onto a truck and whispered, "We can finally leave this damn place." There was an incredible sense of relief in his voice.

The comrade shook his head and looked around cautiously: "Don't be too happy too soon. I heard that Commander Matsui opposed our retreat. He might change his mind at any time."

The retreat encountered unexpected difficulties.

Due to continuous fighting, many transport vehicles were severely damaged and fuel was in short supply.

What's worse is that the Chinese army seemed to have noticed the movements of the Japanese army, and the frequency of artillery fire increased significantly.

"Division Commander, the 149th Regiment reports that the enemy has intensified their artillery attacks, making it difficult for them to completely break contact," the signalman reported.

Ito Masaki frowned and thought for a moment before giving the order: "Have the artillery units conduct covering fire. No need for precise strikes, just create a smoke screen and create momentum."

Mitsuda Shojin added: "I have informed the naval aviation team that they will send fighter jets to conduct a deterrent flight in half an hour, which should temporarily suppress the actions of the Chinese army."

In the retreating team, the soldiers supported each other and moved forward.

Many hadn't had a proper rest for days, their eyes bloodshot and their uniforms tattered. But even so, when they saw the military police directing traffic and maintaining order on the roadside, they instinctively straightened their backs and maintained a military posture.

"Hurry up! Don't stop!" A military police sergeant shouted loudly: "The wounded should be loaded first, and those who can walk should do it by themselves!"

Young Corporal First Class Yamada of the Military Police watched the soldiers passing by and whispered to his companions, "I didn't expect the 101st Division to have suffered so many casualties. Almost everyone is injured."

The companion sighed, shook his head and said, "I heard that each of them charged more than ten times in a row. It was really hell. The Chinese people resisted very tenaciously."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

At the same time, Matsui Iwane, who had just returned to the expeditionary force headquarters, was furious.

He immediately drafted an urgent telegram of a thousand words, reporting in detail to the headquarters the situation of the gendarmerie system's "overstepping its authority to interfere in combat."

"This is a blatant disobedience of military orders!" Matsui shouted at the Chief of Staff. "Who does Takazaki Takuto think he is? Can he do whatever he wants just because he's a noble?"

The Chief of Staff replied cautiously, "Commander, the power of the Takazaki family cannot be underestimated. Moreover, they used the excuse of "protecting the regimental flag," which on the surface is in line with the duties of the military police..."

"A superficial reason!" Matsui slammed his fist on the table. "They clearly saw that the 101st Division had suffered heavy casualties and were using this opportunity to win over the people!

Everyone knows about the little tricks that nasty little guy Takazaki Takuto has been up to lately!!

He enriched himself by seizing the empire's wealth from Manchuria, and now he's inserting his hand into our army! Damn it!!!

And the bandits of the Kwantung Army are colluding with him, openly selling weapons! He is the empire's parasite, the biggest scourge! ! ! "