Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Just as the Japanese army was hastily preparing for the attack, the Chinese army also noticed something unusual.

Inside the defensive fortifications on the south bank of the Suzhou River, Zhang Baiting, chief of staff of the 88th Division, used a telescope to observe the movements of Japanese troops on the opposite bank.

"Something's wrong," he said to his division commander, Sun Yuanliang. "The Japanese army is mobilizing on a large scale and seems to be preparing to launch a general offensive."

Sun Yuanliang frowned. "Didn't the intelligence say that there seemed to be a conflict within the Japanese army? The navy bombed the army. Logically, they should have been in chaos."

"Perhaps they're trying to cover up their internal conflicts by appearing tough," Zhang Baiting analyzed. "Immediately order all units to step up their defenses, especially around Zhoujiaqiao and Beixinjing, as that's where the Japanese attack is headed."

The signalman hurriedly conveyed the order, and all positions of the Chinese army immediately entered a state of combat readiness.

Soldiers hurriedly reinforced fortifications, machine gunners checked their weapons, and artillerymen adjusted their firing angles.

At 6:00 PM, when darkness had fallen, the Japanese artillery began a fierce artillery preparation, with thousands of shells pouring down on the Chinese positions like a torrential rain.

"Bombard! Take cover!" Officers on various positions of the Chinese army shouted at the top of their lungs.

The huge explosion was deafening and the whole earth was shaking.

The banks of Suzhou Creek were illuminated by the artillery fire as bright as day, and thick smoke and dust filled the air, making it suffocating.

The bombardment lasted for a full hour.

At 7 o'clock in the evening, Japanese infantry began to cross the river and attack under the cover of tanks.

"The enemy has crossed the river! Open fire!" On the Chinese army's position, machine guns spewed out flames and bullets rained down on the Japanese troops crossing the river.

In the direction of Zhoujiaqiao, the 9th Division's suicide squad forced their way across the river in rubber boats.

The Chinese army's machine gun positions opened fire fiercely, many small boats were sunk, and Japanese soldiers fell into the water one after another.

"Forward! No retreat!" Colonel Jiro Wakisaka personally supervised the battle on the shore: "The second wave will follow immediately!"

At eight o'clock in the evening, the vanguard of the Japanese army finally successfully landed in some areas and launched a fierce close-range battle with the Chinese army.

In the direction of Beixinjing, a Japanese battalion successfully landed and immediately launched a charge towards the Chinese army's position. The two sides engaged in hand-to-hand combat in the darkness.

"Kill!" The Chinese soldiers charged forward with bayonets pointed. The sounds of metal clashing, shouts, and screams echoed in the night sky.

"Grenade! Throw!" ordered the Japanese officer.

Countless grenades were thrown into the Chinese army's positions, and the sound of explosions continued.

The battle in Shanghai was in full swing throughout the night.

The Japanese army relied on its superior firepower and manpower to continuously put pressure on the Chinese army's positions, but the Chinese army relied on its terrain advantage and tenacious resistance, forcing the Japanese army to pay a heavy price for every step forward.

At the expeditionary force headquarters, Matsui Iwane stayed up all night, closely following the development of the war situation.

The battle reports from the front were mixed: the troops were advancing, but the casualties were heavy.

"The 9th Division reports having crossed the Suzhou River, but encountered stiff resistance. Requesting artillery support!"

"The 12th Division achieved a breakthrough, but the pontoon bridge was destroyed again by artillery fire!"

"The 2nd Division reports slow progress. The Chinese army's resistance is exceptionally tenacious!"

"The 13th Division is increasing its manpower. The Chinese resistance is fierce, and casualties continue to mount."

"The 101st Division is also marching towards the battlefield. The Military Police Battalion will cooperate with the 101st Division in the attack."

Matsui Iwane's face was solemn: "Order all reserves to immediately engage in battle! Break through the Chinese army's main defense line before tomorrow morning at all costs!"

At the same time, at the Third Fleet Headquarters, Kiyoshi Hasegawa was closely monitoring the battle situation.

When he saw the report of the army's slow progress and heavy casualties, a sneer appeared on his lips.

"It seems those idiots in the Army have finally met their match," he said to Chief of Staff Sugiyama Rokuzo. "Inform all ships to prepare for artillery support, but do not offer it unless the Army formally requests it."

Sugiyama Rokuzo hesitated and said, "Commander, is this possible...? After all, we are all Imperial troops... The Military Police also asked us to cooperate in the attack."

Hasegawa Kiyoshi said coldly, "Let the army suffer a little first, and when they really ask for help, we will take action. This is the only way to show the value of the navy."

. . . . . . . .

At the Tianjin Military Police Headquarters, Zhou Zhengqing was receiving intelligence from all sides through an encrypted radio.

He felt mixed emotions when he saw the report of the Chinese army's tenacious resistance and the heavy casualties suffered by the Japanese army.

"Send a telegram to Nakamura, closely monitor the development of the battle, but do not intervene directly. Ensure that the military police do not get involved in direct combat on the front lines."

. . . . . . . . .

Dawn.

After experiencing the heavy losses and humiliating attack last night, the Japanese Tenth Army Headquarters was filled with anger and panic, especially after confirming that there were white soldiers among the attackers.

Driven by extreme anger and a twisted fear, Commander Lieutenant General Yanagawa Heisuke and his staff issued a cruel and outrageous order.

They needed to vent their anger, to intimidate those "meddling" white soldiers from the concessions, and more importantly, they needed to use an extremely cruel method to revive the morale that had been somewhat depressed due to a series of "unprecedented" blows.

Thus, the evil butcher knife was swung towards the people who were least able to resist, the innocent Chinese people in the areas around Jinshanwei who failed to escape in time.

Small groups of Japanese troops rushed out frantically and broke into nearby villages and towns.

They smashed down doors and dragged terrified people out of their hiding places, regardless of age or gender.

Cries, pleas, scolding from the Japanese army and sporadic gunfire filled the early morning sky.

Hundreds of people were driven to several temporarily selected open spaces, mostly threshing grounds or abandoned training grounds outside the town.

They were surrounded by Japanese soldiers with bayonets and rifles, their faces filled with confusion and extreme fear, not knowing what fate awaited them.

A Japanese colonel stood on a makeshift platform, his face grim, and roared at the top of his lungs through the translator:

"Chinese Army! And those foreign rats hiding their heads and showing their tails! Listen up! This is the price you paid for your despicable sneak attack last night! This is the fate of being an enemy of the Imperial Army!"

"The majesty of the Imperial Army cannot be challenged! Anyone who aids the Chinese Army will pay a price a hundredfold, a thousandfold!"

"The life and death of these ants depends on your thoughts! If you dare to show up again, the Imperial Army will kill every Chinese on sight!"

Immediately afterwards, the bloodiest scene took place.

The Japanese soldiers were like those possessed by demons. They forced the civilians to the ground, drew out their sabers or engineer shovels, and chopped at the arms of the helpless civilians!

In an instant, screams shook the earth! Blood splattered, severed limbs flew! The world instantly turned into a Shura field.

The painful wails, the Japanese soldiers' laughter, and the officers' scolding mixed together.

Many people fainted from extreme pain and fear, and more people struggled desperately in a pool of blood.

The Japanese soldiers seemed to have found twisted confidence and an outlet in this extreme violence, and their morale was "boosted" in a sinister way.

This deliberate massacre had three purposes. The first was to avenge last night's attack.

The second was to warn them about the imagined "foreign intervention forces". They firmly believed that Makarov and others were armed forces from the Shanghai Concession.

The third is to use this extremely cruel method to stimulate the most primitive animality in the soldiers' hearts and cover up the soldiers' fear of encountering the unknown weapons when landing.