Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Yanagawa Heisuke walked over to the map, his fingers trembling as he drew a huge arc from a distance south of Songjiang, pointing westward: "It's the Kuniki Detachment! I've reinforced them, increasing the original 12,000 men to 18,000.

They carried enough supplies, made a big detour, and stayed far away from the monstrous defense line in front of Songjiang!

Their mission is to, regardless of everything, penetrate westward and pursue the retreating main force of the Chinese army!

Kunizaki Noboru had previously sent a telegram saying that they had caught up with the retreating Chinese troops.

Judging by the time... they should have already penetrated deep into the enemy's territory by now!"

This news was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, shocking Yusuke Ichijo and Chiaki Shigeto.

Guoqi Detachment!!

The detachment commanded by Major General Kunisaki Noboru!!

If a highly mobile force can successfully make a detour, it can indeed pose a huge threat to the retreating Chinese army, and may even cut off its retreat in advance!

"Almost an entire division of troops broke away from the corps and advanced alone! Why wasn't such an important operation reported to the expeditionary force headquarters and the military headquarters?!" Yusuke Ichijo's voice was filled with stern questioning.

Eighteen thousand men! This meant Yanagawa Heisuke had mobilized a considerable portion of his forces for an extremely risky, far-reaching detour!

If successful, it may be a great achievement, but if failed, it may lead to the annihilation of the entire army.

Yanagawa Heisuke's face was instantly filled with immense humiliation and stubbornness. He practically growled, "Report? How can I report?!

Should I report to General Matsui Iwane that the main force of my 10th Army, numbering over 100,000, is blocked in Songjiang by unknown enemies and cannot move forward, so I can only secretly send a detachment to pursue them by a detour?

This is a shame! The greatest shame for the imperial soldiers!

I, Yanagawa Heisuke, cannot afford to lose this man! I must... I must defeat the enemy head-on! I must open the road to Songjiang with honor!

Otherwise, how can I, Yanagawa Heisuke, and my 10th Army, face the Emperor?!"

His voice trembled with excitement, filled with a gambler's paranoia and a twisted sense of honor.

He would rather risk disobeying orders and losing the flanking troops than lose his revenge on the front battlefield.

Yusuke Ichijo stared at Yanagawa Heisuke.

After a moment, Yusuke Ichijo made a decision.

His cold voice broke the silence: "Commander Yanagawa, I will verify the situation of the Guoqi Detachment separately, but now, the first priority is still the enemy in front.

I will immediately report the situation of the Kuniki Detachment to the Expeditionary Force Headquarters and have them speed up their advance and cooperate with the Kuniki Detachment as much as possible."

His eyes became sharp and firm again: "If the Guoqi detachment's risky action is successful, it may reduce some of your guilt for being blocked in Songjiang!

But if they fail, or if the Guoqi detachment is surrounded by the Chinese, and the losses are too great...

Commander, the consequences for you will be very serious!" Ichijo Yusuke said as a warning.

Without waiting for Yanagawa Heisuke to respond, Ichijo Yusuke continued, "The Military Police Battalion's attack plan remains unchanged, and the time is set for dawn tomorrow.

Please provide the necessary artillery support and have the frontline troops closely observe and record all details of the enemy's reactions."

He looked at Zhongteng Qianqiu and said, "General Zhongteng, please ask your troops to cooperate with us in launching the attack."

As he said this, Yusuke Ichijo bowed.

Shigeto Chiaki immediately followed suit and bowed: "Please rest assured, my soldiers may not be the most elite warriors, but they will not be afraid of fighting!"

. . . . . . . .

In the early morning, thick fog covered the muddy fields and crisscrossing rivers outside Songjiang like a thick shroud.

However, this dead silence is about to be torn apart by steel and fire.

At dawn, a faint light barely penetrated the fog.

At the gendarmerie brigade's attack position, the engines began to roar softly.

The spearhead of the attack were four Type 2 tanks of the Military Police Battalion. Their small bodies were looming in the fog, and their tracks made a creaking sound as they rolled over the mud.

Following closely behind were the Type 93 armored vehicles, their wheels kicking up mud.

Behind the tanks and armored vehicles, the infantry of the gendarmerie battalion had deployed in a skirmish line.

Compared with ordinary infantry divisions, these military police are better equipped. The soldiers' faces are less fearful of going to the battlefield for the first time, and have more of a sense of calmness and oppression brought by discipline.

There was more excitement, and some veterans were even overjoyed... They kept mumbling inaudibly about things like yen, pensions, and heads...

The military police were armed with Type 38 rifles and had grenades hanging from their waists. The machine gunners were carrying Type 11 light machine guns, and the ammunition handlers followed closely behind.

With skilled tactical movements, relying on ridges, earthen mounds and bomb craters, they closely followed the slowly advancing steel fortress in front, forming a sparse and dense wave of attack.

"Each vehicle, maintain spacing and advance at low speed!"

"Infantry, follow up! Watch the flanks!"

The commander's orders were conveyed in the somewhat chilly air of early winter through flag signals and whistles.

Although the coordination between infantry and tanks is not as smooth as that of the German army, it is well-trained among the military police.

The tank uses its body to block possible machine gun fire for the infantry, while the infantry scans the sides with sharp eyes, alert for anti-tank teams or ambushes.

At the same time, the remaining artillery positions of the 10th Army in the rear finally roared.

The few 75mm mountain guns and field guns fired sparse shells at the designated enemy positions directly in front of the gendarmerie battalion.

The bombardment was not fierce, let alone covering the enemy. The flames of the explosions appeared dim and weak in the fog, but for the soldiers of the 10th Army who had not heard the sound of their own covering artillery for a long time, this was a long-awaited encouragement.

The artillery fire began to extend deeper into the territory. Lieutenant Colonel Yusuke Ichijo stood at a slightly higher observation point in the rear, holding up his binoculars, his face expressionless.

Zhong Teng Qianqiu stood aside, nervously watching his troops following closely behind the gendarmerie brigade as they advanced together.

"Charge!" The front-line commander swung his sword forward.

The roar of the engine suddenly increased.

The Type 2 tank suddenly accelerated. Although its maximum speed was only 40 kilometers per hour, it still sprinted across the muddy field with an indomitable momentum.

The machine guns on the armored vehicles began to spit out flames, sweeping at any suspicious targets in front.

The military police infantrymen let out a suppressed roar, raised their bayonets, and began to jog.

The progress was unexpectedly smooth.

There was almost no decent resistance.

Sporadic rifle fire came from the fog, clanging against the tank armor, but posed no threat.

Soon, the leading tanks approached the first broken line of defense outside Songjiang, some abandoned trenches and simple earthworks.

At this moment, the terrible "friendly tanks" mentioned by the Tenth Army finally appeared!

More than a dozen Type 95 light tanks painted with the Rising Sun flag rushed out from the fog!

"Enemy tank spotted! Type 95!" the tank commander shouted at the top of his lungs through the observation window.

"Aim! Armor-piercing shells!" The gunner quickly shook the steering and elevation controls.