Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

"Visibility is less than 500 meters," Chief of Staff Colonel Mitsuo Nakazawa said worriedly. "Landing conditions are extremely unfavorable. Your Excellency, Division Commander, should we wait for the fog to clear?"

Nakajima Imao put down the binoculars, an impatient look on his face: "Wait? That old fool Matsui Iwane has been dawdling in Shanghai for three months, and we still have to wait?

This time we were transferred from the North China Front Army to teach the Shanghai Expeditionary Army how to fight!

Order the advance team to begin landing immediately!"

"But sir," said Lieutenant Colonel Ono Ryosuke, the operations staff, hastily dissuading him. "The reconnaissance boat reports that the terrain on the shore is complex and there are many reefs. Landing in this visibility is too risky!"

Nakajima snorted coldly and pointed towards the riverbank: "Risk? Imperial soldiers are afraid of risk? Tell the soldiers that the first team to set foot on the shore will be rewarded with ten yen each!"

The tactic of rewarding soldiers with Japanese yen was something Nakajima Jinchao had learned from the Military Police Headquarters when he arrived in China. He had paid close attention and discovered that the Military Police Headquarters in Tianjin had a habit of rewarding soldiers with money, and this tactic was quite effective...

The order was quickly relayed to the transport ships. Soldiers busily began checking their equipment and loading weapons and ammunition into the landing craft. Through the thick fog, the sound of metal clashing and the shouts of officers' reprimands filled the fleet, a tense atmosphere spreading.

At 7:20 in the morning, the first batch of landing craft sailed towards the river bank in the fog.

Each large engine boat was loaded with more than 30 fully armed soldiers, and the machine gunner at the bow was nervously staring at the blurred river coastline ahead.

"Attention!" Colonel Shizuji Sukekawa, commander of the 38th Regiment, shouted from the command boat over the loudspeaker, "Be ready to fight at any time!"

The landing craft struggled forward in the turbid river water.

Suddenly, a gunshot was heard from the fog, followed by the whistling of dense bullets.

"Enemy attack!" The soldiers lay down one after another, and the bullets hit the armor plates of the landing craft, making a harsh sound.

"Fight back! Fight back!" roared Seiji Sukekawa.

Japanese machine guns began to spew out flames, shooting at the blurry figures on the shore.

The first wave of landing craft finally rushed onto the beach and the hatches slammed open.

The soldiers howled as they rushed into the knee-deep river and were immediately attacked by intensive fire.

"Forward! No retreat!" The officers waved their sabers and drove the soldiers forward.

People were shot and fell continuously, and the blood dyed the river red, but the follow-up troops continued to rush forward.

Colonel Kengo Noda, commander of the 33rd Regiment, witnessed this scene from the second wave of landing craft. His face turned pale: "Damn it! The intelligence said there was only sporadic resistance here! This is clearly a pre-set position!"

At 8:30 in the morning, the thick fog dissipated slightly, revealing the true appearance of Baimaokou.

This is a muddy mudflat covered with reeds and swamps, which is extremely unfavorable for the deployment of troops.

The Chinese army built simple but effective fortifications along the coast and used the terrain to put up a tenacious resistance.

"Artillery cover!" Nakajima Imao roared from the flagship: "All ship guns fire towards the shore!"

The escort ships of the Fourth Fleet began to provide artillery support, and the shells whizzed down on the Chinese army positions, raising clouds of mud and smoke.

However, due to unclear vision and fear of accidental injuries, the shelling was of limited effectiveness.

"Prepare the large landing craft!" Nakajima continued to order: "Let the tank troops go!"

Two specially made tank landing craft slowly moved towards the shore.

But as they approached the beach, one of the boats suddenly shook violently, then tilted, and hit an underwater reef.

"The engineering team, go forward and clear the obstacles!" Colonel Kobayashi Tsuneichi, commander of the engineering regiment, hurriedly directed the special engineers to go into the water to work.

Soldiers braved gunfire and used explosives to clear underwater obstacles and reefs.

It was not until 10 a.m. that the first batch of Type 95 light tanks finally landed successfully.

The appearance of tanks immediately changed the situation of the battle. The firepower of machine guns and 37mm cannons suppressed the resistance of the Chinese army.

"Get on board!" The Japanese soldiers cheered and followed the tanks forward.

The beachhead was gradually taken, but at a heavy cost, and was littered with fallen soldiers and damaged equipment.

At twelve o'clock noon, Nakajima Imao finally set foot on the south bank of the Yangtze River.

He stood on the muddy beach, observing the battlefield situation through a telescope.

"Casualties?" he asked coldly.

Nakazawa Sanfu's face was solemn. "Preliminary statistics show that approximately 300 people were killed and over 800 were injured. We also lost three landing craft and two tanks."

Nakajima's expression was impassive. "It's insignificant. Order the troops to advance immediately towards Changshu. Quickly! The troops must advance like the wind!"

"But, sir," Nakazawa Sanfu hastily dissuaded him, "the soldiers are exhausted, their equipment needs to be sorted, and the wounded need to be evacuated..."

"These are all excuses!" Nakajima roared. "The 16th Division is not those weak Shanghai Expeditionary Forces! I want to show Matsui Iwane what a true Imperial soldier is!"

He turned to the signalman and said, "Send a telegram to the Expeditionary Force Headquarters: The 16th Division has successfully landed and is advancing rapidly toward Taicang and Changshu as planned. We will report the results of the battle before sunset today!"

The telegram was clearly meant to be ostentatious and provocative.

Nakazawa Sanfu seemed to be hesitant to speak, and finally had no choice but to carry out the order.

At 2 p.m., just as the vanguard of the 16th Division began to advance towards Taicang, the expeditionary force headquarters sent a telegram.

Nakajima Imao's face darkened after reading it.

In addition to routine combat orders, the telegram also emphasized: "The 10th Army encountered stubborn resistance in the Songjiang direction and made slow progress. Your unit must pay special attention to the safety of its flanks and avoid reckless advances."

"Are you trying to teach me a lesson?" Nakajima sneered and tore up the letter. "Matsui Iwane got himself beaten up in Shanghai, and you still want to restrict my actions?"

Nakazawa Sanfu said cautiously: "Division Commander, the enemy situation in the Songjiang direction is unclear. Should our 16th Division advance cautiously?"

Nakajima Imao snorted coldly: "Go send a telegram back to Commander Matsui. The 16th Division knows how to fight. If those rubbish of the 10th Army can't take Songjiang, let us do it!"

Nakazawa Mitsuo said worriedly, "Your Excellency, Division Commander, is it too direct to contradict the Expeditionary Force Headquarters..."

"Don't worry," Nakajima said confidently, "As long as we can win the battle, the military will naturally support us. Order the troops to advance faster immediately!"

. . . . . . . . . .

At five o'clock in the morning, the sky in Shanghai was not yet fully bright, and the lead-gray clouds hung low, as if they were about to crush the entire city.

In the square in front of the Japanese Marine Corps Headquarters in Hongkou District, there was already a solemn atmosphere.

A special force is completing its final assembly here.

The soldiers of the gendarmerie battalion were dressed in neat khaki uniforms, their leather belts polished to a shine, and their military boots made a uniform sound as they stepped on the bluestone slabs.

Although their uniforms were the same as those of ordinary army troops, the military police obviously attached great importance to their appearance. Although there was dirt on their bodies left by the war, they still wore their uniforms neatly. In particular, the military police's armbands were particularly eye-catching in the morning light, revealing an inviolable majesty.

The battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Yusuke Ichijo, stood on the turret of a German Type 2 tank, holding a metal loudspeaker, and swept his cold eyes over the soldiers in line.

Although he was young and his rank was only lieutenant, perhaps because he had dealt with so many people in Harbin, the cold light that flashed in his eyes from time to time made the soldiers under him straighten their chests and dare not slack off in the slightest.