Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Li Changming did not die. He was knocked unconscious before detonating the grenade.

When he woke up, he was already in the rear hospital. The wound on his left shoulder had been re-treated, and he was in pain all over his body.

"You're so lucky," the nurse said as she changed the dressing. "You were carried out from the pile of dead bodies."

Li Changming looked at the ceiling silently. He didn't know who saved him.

He thought of Xiao Shandong, the brothers who died in battle, and his division commander Zhu Yaohua. Some said that the division commander committed suicide for his country, while others said that he was rescued. The truth is unknown.

Li Changming got out of bed with difficulty and looked at the smoke in the distant sky.

A Japanese plane flew across the sky and dropped leaflets with warning words written in Chinese, demanding that the national army surrender or they would be destroyed.

Li Changming picked up a flyer, crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the river.

He knew that the war was far from over. The retreat from Dachang had a huge impact on the Battle of Shanghai, but the Chinese army was still resisting. From Zhuozaobang to Dachang, from Zhabei to Suzhou River, every inch of land was soaked in blood.

As the sun sets, the surface of the Suzhou River glows golden, and gunfire blasts from the opposite bank again, signaling a new battle has begun.

. . . . . . . .

In late autumn in Shanghai, the air was filled with a pungent smell of gunpowder and blood. The news of the collapse of the Zhuzaobang defense line spread like a plague among the remaining defenders. The shock brought by the fall of Dachang made despair etched on every face covered with smoke and dust.

At dusk, Xie Jinyuan, deputy commander of the 524th Regiment of the 88th Division, stood in front of the broken window on the sixth floor of the Sihang Warehouse. His hand holding the telescope was as steady as a rock, but his heart was turbulent.

This Guangdong Hakka man, who graduated from the fourth class of Whampoa Military Academy, was now shouldering what might be the most difficult task in his military career. He had to defend this isolated warehouse with more than 400 soldiers to buy precious time for hundreds of thousands of troops to retreat westward.

"Deputy regimental commander, all company and platoon leaders are here." The voice of Battalion Commander Yang Ruifu came from behind, breaking the silence in the warehouse.

Xie Jinyuan turned around and saw more than 20 officers standing in front of him. Each of their uniforms was stained with blood and dust, and some were even wearing bandages, but their eyes were all focused on him.

He noticed the blood-soaked gauze on the forehead of Third Company Commander Shi Meihao, the unnatural drooping of Second Company Commander Deng Ying's left arm, and the tense jawlines of the young platoon leaders.

"Brothers," Xie Jinyuan's voice echoed in the empty warehouse. "The division commander has ordered our troops to defend the Sihang Warehouse to the death and cover the main force's transfer. This will be our position, but it could also be our grave."

He paused for a moment, his eyes sweeping across every face. "The Japanese army has surrounded us on three sides, and only the southern concession still has a narrow passage. But we cannot retreat, and we must not retreat!"

Yang Ruifu continued, "The warehouse is solidly constructed. It was originally used by the Four Banks Savings Association to store goods. The walls are over one meter thick, with reinforced concrete on the bottom floor and brick and wood structures on the upper floors.

There are five floors in total, with the attic making it six. The east, west, and north sides are walls, and the south side facing Suzhou Road has doors and windows that need to be sealed immediately.

Xie Jinyuan nodded and said, "Begin deployment immediately. Block all windows on the first to third floors with sandbags and grain bags, leaving loopholes for firing.

Machine gun positions were set up in selected locations on the fourth to sixth floors, all doors and windows were reinforced, and gaps on the ground floor were cemented. Observation posts and anti-aircraft fire were set up on the roof.

After the order was given, the warehouse suddenly became busy.

The soldiers dragged bags of wheat and soybeans out from the depths of the warehouse and piled them up to form a bunker. The engineers used shovels to dig firing holes in the walls, and the machine gunners carried the Maxim heavy machine guns to find the best firing range.

Xie Jinyuan led the officers to inspect each floor.

Arriving at the east side of the second floor, he pointed to the Bank of Communications building not far from the window and said, "The Japanese must occupy this place first. Set up observation posts and machine gun positions. Strictly occupy the mark. The snipers in your squad will be responsible for suppressing the windows of that building."

"Yes! Deputy Commander!" Yan Zhanbiao saluted. "Six firing positions have been selected. Crossfire will cover all windows of the Bank of Communications."

Walking to the northwest corner, Xie Jinyuan noticed several soldiers wrapping wire around wooden beams. "What are they doing?"

A young soldier stood at attention and replied, "Report to the deputy commander! We are going to run an electric current through the ground floor window. If the Japanese try to climb in, they will be electrocuted!"

Xie Jinyuan frowned. "That's a good idea, but the warehouse's power has been cut off. Let's go find the engineer company commander and see if we can connect to the outside line."

When he reached the fifth floor, Xie Jinyuan suddenly stopped. He heard rumbling artillery sounds in the distance, which could be vaguely distinguished as the bombardment of Japanese field artillery. He quickly walked to the window and raised the telescope.

Night was falling, but through the flashes of artillery fire, Japanese troops could be seen moving on the streets on the north bank of the Suzhou River.

The tank tracks rolled over the gravel, the infantry crouched forward, and the bayonets flashed coldly in the twilight.

"Order: Turn off all lights immediately, no smoking, no loud noises," Xie Jinyuan ordered. "Japanese scouts may be approaching."

Night had completely fallen, and the only light in the warehouse was the faint light of flashlights and the hushed voices of the soldiers.

Xie Jinyuan summoned officers to make final arrangements.

"The third company will be in charge of the first floor, focusing on defending the west and north walls. The second to fourth floors will be defended by the second company, and the fifth floor and the roof will be under the charge of the first company.

The machine gun company set up twelve firing points to form a crossfire, and the mortar platoon set up positions on the rooftop.

He paused for a moment and emphasized: "Although the south is a concession, the Japanese army may launch a surprise attack from the Suzhou River, so we need to arrange sentries to monitor the river day and night.

Each floor prepared sand buckets to store water to prevent fire attacks. The medical team set up a first aid station on the east side of the ground floor to provide centralized treatment for all the wounded.

After the deployment was completed, the officers returned to their posts.

Xie Jinyuan climbed onto the roof alone and looked at the bright lights on the south bank of the Suzhou River. The high-rise buildings in the concession were flashing neon lights and the hustle and bustle of traffic formed a strange contrast with the ruins on the north bank.

Yang Ruifu quietly came to his side and said, "Deputy Commander, the soldiers are relatively stable, but many of them have privately written suicide notes."

Xie Jinyuan sighed and said, "Tell them that we are not alone.

Our compatriots on the south bank are watching us, and our 40,000 compatriots across the country are watching us. The significance of this battle far exceeds its military value."

He pointed to the tall buildings on the south bank and said, "Foreign embassies, journalists, and observers are all there. We want the whole world to see how Chinese soldiers shed blood and fight for their country!"

Suddenly, explosions were heard from the northeast, followed by intensive gunfire.

Xie Jinyuan immediately raised his telescope, but he could not see anything in the darkness.

"It's possible that the Japanese army was exchanging fire with our rearguard." Yang Ruifu judged: "According to the plan, the friendly forces should have completely evacuated Zhabei before midnight."

Xie Jinyuan checked his watch and said, "21:47. Order all positions to step up alert. The Japanese may launch an exploratory attack ahead of time."

As soon as the order was given, the sentry's alarm sounded on the west side of the warehouse, and several dark shadows were quietly approaching the warehouse.

"Don't fire! They might be scouts," Xie Jinyuan whispered. "Wait until they get within fifty meters, then fire warning shots with your machine gun."

The black shadow was getting closer and closer, and suddenly stopped at about seventy meters, as if it had noticed something.

At this moment, a gunshot was heard from the direction of the Bank of Communications Building. The bullet hit the west wall of the warehouse, splashing sparks.

"Japanese sniper!" Yang Ruifu roared, "They're already in position!"

Xie Jinyuan calmly ordered: "Notify all positions that the enemy is approaching, but do not expose your firing points. Wait for my order before opening fire."

The atmosphere in the warehouse suddenly became tense. The soldiers took their positions, their fingers on the triggers, their breathing became rapid, the new recruits couldn't help swallowing, and the veterans silently checked the ammunition.

A black shadow moved forward more than ten meters and suddenly threw something towards the warehouse. There was a loud explosion, shaking the walls of the warehouse, but causing no damage.

"A test grenade." Xie Jinyuan sneered, "Notify the lower levels that the Japanese may be trying to blow up the west wall."

As soon as he finished speaking, digging sounds were heard from the west side. Japanese engineers were trying to chisel the wall!

"Have the machine gunners fire towards the source of the sound, but don't fire continuously, just bursts."

The roar of a heavy machine gun suddenly broke the night sky, and after a few bursts of fire, the digging sound stopped.

But the Japanese machine guns in the Bank of Communications Building immediately returned fire, and bullets rained down on the outer wall of the warehouse.

Amid the roar of gunfire, Xie Jinyuan shouted, "Inform all positions: just stop the enemy from approaching. No need to fight back with all your might. Save ammunition!"

After a small-scale firefight lasted for about half an hour, the Japanese army suddenly stopped attacking and retreated into the night.

Silence returned outside the warehouse, with only the smell of gunpowder reminding people of the battle just now.