Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

The explosion at Zhejiang Road and Bridge was still ringing in his ears, and Li Changshun had already joined a retreating crowd.

The soldiers withdrawing from various positions were like countless streams flowing into rivers, forming a torrent of despair on the streets of Zhabei.

At first, there were still officers trying to maintain order. A major stood on the ruins and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Keep in formation! Don't push! Take turns to cover the retreat!" But his voice was quickly drowned out by the noisy crowd.

Several soldiers pushed him away roughly and continued to surge forward.

The major stood there for a moment, then finally blended into the crowd and disappeared.

Li Changshun was pushed forward by the crowd and was soon separated from his comrades. He felt like a fallen leaf in a flood, completely unable to control his direction.

His military uniform was already soaked with sweat, and huddled together with the others, it exuded a strong sour and bloody smell.

Shoes! My shoes! "A soldier suddenly screamed.

His straw sandals were swallowed by the mud, and his bare feet stepped on broken glass and rubble, and blood immediately covered them.

But no one stopped and he was soon lost in the crowd.

The roads are becoming increasingly congested.

Not only soldiers, but also many civilians were mixed in the retreating troops.

There were old people staggering forward with canes, women holding crying babies, and even a few young people in school uniforms, their faces full of fear and confusion.

"Get out of the way! Let the soldiers go first!" An officer tried to clear a passage, but to no avail.

The crowd has lost their minds and only has the instinct to survive.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the distance.

"Devil cavalry!" someone screamed.

Panic spread like a plague.

The crowd began to rush forward frantically. Many people were pushed to the ground and trampled by countless feet in an instant.

Screams, cries, and curses mixed together, forming a hellish scene.

Li Changshun tried hard to steady himself and looked up. He saw a group of Japanese cavalrymen, about twenty of them, charging from the flank, their sabers flashing coldly in the dim sunlight.

They were obviously very good at this kind of pursuit. They were not in a hurry to rush into the crowd, but instead continued to create panic and chaos like a shepherd driving a flock of sheep.

"Scatter! Find cover!" Li Changshun shouted at the top of his lungs, but his voice was insignificant in the clamor.

The Japanese cavalry began to accelerate, and blood splattered wherever their sabers were swung.

A woman holding a child was hit in the back by a saber, and both mother and child fell to the ground.

An old man tried to block with his crutch, but was knocked away by the warhorse along with his crutch.

In the chaos, Li Changshun saw a shocking scene: several Sichuan Army soldiers suddenly rushed out from the crowd, wearing straw sandals and holding big swords, and took the initiative to meet the cavalry.

"You bastard! Do you know how powerful the Sichuan Army's broadsword team is?" A bearded old Sichuan Army soldier roared and chopped off the horse's leg with one knife.

The Japanese cavalry fell to the ground and were immediately hacked to death by other Sichuan Army soldiers.

More Sichuan Army soldiers joined the battle. They formed a simple defensive formation and used their flesh and blood to block the cavalry's charge.

Although people kept falling, they managed to temporarily stop the Japanese army's pursuit.

"Hurry up! Now!" Li Changshun pulled up a frightened young soldier beside him and took the opportunity to rush forward.

Turning a corner, the scene was even more miserable.

It was obvious that this place had just experienced an air raid. Several destroyed supply trucks were still burning, and corpses were lying all over the roadside.

Some soldiers were snatching supplies from the vehicles and even fighting over a bag of rice.

"Where is the quartermaster? Distributing ammunition!" An officer tried to maintain order but was quickly pushed away by angry soldiers.

Li Changshun noticed many documents scattered on the ground. He bent down to pick up one and found that it was the combat order of the division headquarters.

Apparently, a command had lost confidential documents in its hasty retreat.

His heart sank, as this meant that the command system was in complete chaos.

As we continued forward, a group of Guangdong Army soldiers appeared on the roadside.

They formed a circle and roared a war song in Cantonese.

Although I don’t understand the lyrics, the tragic melody makes my heart sad.

Several wounded soldiers sat against the wall, silently wiping their guns, obviously ready to cover their retreat.

"Brother, which unit are you from?" A Guangdong Army officer stopped Li Changshun and asked in stiff Mandarin.

"88th Division, 524th Regiment, rearguard unit."

The officer nodded and handed over a canteen. "Have a drink. We have been ordered to stop them here. Leave quickly."

Li Changshun took the kettle and took a few gulps, only to discover that it contained wine.

The hot liquid went down my throat, temporarily dispelling some of the chill.

"Thank you! You..."

The officer waved his hand and gave a bleak smile: "Someone has to cover our retreat. Let's go and kill a few more devils to avenge us."

Li Changshun saluted solemnly and continued forward. Not far away, he heard fierce gunfire and explosions behind him. The Guangdong Army soldiers exchanged fire with the pursuers.

The road is getting harder and harder to walk on.

Days of artillery fire had left the streets full of potholes, and rainwater and blood mixed into ankle-deep mud.

From time to time, people fell and quickly disappeared in the mud. Li Changshun had to use his hands and feet to climb over the piles of rubble.

In front of a relatively intact building, an outrageous scene occurred: several soldiers were snatching supplies from a crashed Kuomintang plane.

The pilot's body was still hanging in the cockpit, but was completely ignored.

In order to fight for a pair of intact leather boots, two soldiers even drew their swords against each other.

"Stop it, everyone!" Li Changshun roared. "We're all soldiers, what are you doing?"

But his scolding was of no avail.

A soldier raised his boots with a snarl in his voice: "All the officers have fled, so what's the point of talking about discipline? The only thing that matters is survival!"

Suddenly, a burst of machine gun fire came from the sky.

The Japanese planes returned and dived and strafed the crowd.

Bullets hit the ruins, splashing a string of sparks.

The crowd suddenly became chaotic and fled in all directions.

Li Changshun and an unfamiliar veteran hid in a half-broken cement pipe.

Outside, there were gunshots, explosions, and screams. The cement pipes kept vibrating and dust was falling.

"Damn it! The Japs are going to kill us all." The old soldier spat bloody saliva and said, "I'm from the 36th Division. Which unit are you from, brother?"

"88th Division. Are you retreating too?"

The old soldier smiled bitterly: "Retreat? You say it's a turn.

I started fighting from Luodian, and I'm the only one left in the company." He took out a half-smoked cigarette and lit it carefully: "You know what? I heard the Japs landed at Jinshanwei, and our retreat has been cut off."

This news made Li Changshun feel nervous.

If this is true, then the so-called retreat route may have been cut off.

During the conversation, the gunshots outside gradually became less frequent.

The two men carefully stuck their heads out and saw many more corpses on the street.

The Japanese plane was flying away, but the killing on the ground continued.

"This won't work. We'll be eaten one by one by the devils." The old soldier suddenly stood up and said, "Brothers, we have to organize ourselves.

A retreat with command is a retreat, a retreat without command is a rout!

He strode towards the group still snatching supplies, raised his pistol and fired into the air: "Everyone, listen to my orders! Lieutenant Wang Defa of the 36th Division, take command now! Those with guns, form a circular defense, and those without guns, tend to the wounded! Anyone else snatching supplies and disrupting order will be court-martialed!"