Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Shanghai in mid-November was already a giant ship capsizing and sinking in the raging waves.

The Battle of Shanghai, which lasted for three months, ended with the retreat of the National Army. The Japanese army's iron hoofs completely crushed the former prosperity and tranquility of this Oriental Paris.

The air was filled with the smell of burning after the smoke had cleared, the fishy smell of river water, and a deeper smell called fear.

On the streets, signs were crooked and broken glass was everywhere. The doors of some shops were knocked open, revealing dark holes inside, as if their mouths were wide open, telling of the disaster they had suffered.

In the distance, one or two cold gunshots could occasionally be heard from the direction of the Bund, reminding people that order had collapsed.

On the street, in the midst of this chaos, a man was holding a crucian carp tied with a straw rope, with its scales still shining slightly silver. He was walking against the flow of people towards Tongfuli behind the Triangle Vegetable Market.

He was wearing a half-worn gray cloth gown, had a thin figure, a gentle face, and a look that was a little too calm, as if the chaos around him was separated from him by an invisible barrier.

He didn't walk fast, but each step was steady, carefully avoiding the hurried pedestrians and the luggage scattered on the ground.

He was just a small accountant in the vegetable market. His biggest wish at the moment was to bring the fish home safely so that his mother, Xu Ma, could make a bowl of hot fish soup.

However, the wheel of fate is always merciless. At a corner on Sichuan North Road, a larger crowd surged towards him. He subconsciously moved to the side to avoid it, but he collided head-on with a figure who was being squeezed from the opposite direction and staggered.

She was a young woman wearing a light blue dress and a bright red scarf.

The small suitcase in the woman's hand flew out of her hand and she fell backwards.

The man in the long gown almost instinctively put his arm around her waist, and the elegant scent of gardenia instantly diluted the foul air around them.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The woman was still in shock. After she regained her composure, she quickly apologized, a blush on her face.

She looked up at the man who was hugging her. His face was extremely handsome and gentle, but now it was filled with anxiety and helplessness.

"Don't get in the way." The man let go of her hand, his tone calm, and bent down to help her pick up the suitcase and handed it back to her.

His eyes lingered for a moment on the red scarf around her neck.

Red, in his color-blind world, is just a darker shade of gray.

But for some reason, the grayness of the scarf was more vivid than everything else around it: "Miss, you're going the wrong way. There are Japanese over there. It's dangerous."

The woman followed his gaze, her eyes complicated. "I...I'm going to look for someone. It's urgent. Thank you, sir."

She paused, as if she wanted to say something, but finally just nodded, merged into the crowd again, and hurried towards the dangerous direction.

Xu Tian looked at her disappearing figure, and a very subtle ripple passed through his heart.

In this troubled time, there's a woman like this... He shook his head, put aside all distracting thoughts, and continued walking towards Tongfuli.

The invisible thread of fate had already tied the two of them together without them realizing it.

Just as I arrived at the door of my house, before I even stepped into the alley, a man in a short coat with a sharp look came up to me and whispered, "Mr. Xu, I have something to ask the teacher. It's urgent."

The man named Xu Tian, ​​who was wearing a long gray cloth gown, recognized this sturdy man. He was Lao Xiang's contact person and also a member of the National Salvation Society.

Xu Tian frowned and glanced at the fish in his hand, the gills still twitching slightly: "Wait for me to put the things away."

"It's too late. Tell the teacher. Your life is at stake."

Xu Tian was silent for a moment, then handed the fish to his mother, Xu Ma, who had come out after hearing the noise. "Mom, keep the fish in the basin first. I'm going out for a while and will be back soon." Xu Ma looked at her son worriedly, then at the man. In the end, she said nothing. She just took the fish and whispered, "Be careful."

Xu Tian followed the man, walking through the maze-like alleys and lanes, and finally came to the back door of a hidden warehouse.

There were three long knocks and two short ones. The door opened and a depressing atmosphere hit me.

The interior of the warehouse was dimly lit and filled with clutter, with only a dim light in the middle illuminating a small area.

Seven or eight people were sitting or standing, looking solemn.

The seemingly ordinary middle-aged man in the lead was Teacher Xiang.

When he saw Xu Tian, ​​a trace of relief appeared on his tired face: "Xu Tian, ​​you are here."

"Teacher Xiang." Xu Tian nodded slightly and swept his eyes over everyone present. When he saw their anxious expressions, he knew in his heart that this "help" would probably be of great significance.

"To make a long story short," Teacher Xiang said in a hoarse voice, "We have a boat called 'Tongda' at Shilipu Wharf.

The ship is half loaded with medicines that are urgently needed on the front lines, as well as... some other important items.

The Japanese inventory team will find the ship before dark, and once the plaster flag is hoisted, it will be impossible to move it. "

Xu Tian's heart sank: "Teacher Xiang, I still know what the situation is like outside now.

The docks were controlled by the Japanese and were heavily guarded.

"With just a few people in this room, do you think you can snatch food from a tiger's mouth?" He paused, his tone dissuading him, "As the old saying goes, a man who knows the current affairs is a hero. Life is more important than anything else."

"If you're afraid of death, you're not Chinese!" One person stood up suddenly, his eyes blazing with fire: "Xu Tian, ​​you learned a lot of skills in Japan, and now you're just a coward?

Allah is not afraid of death!"

Xu Tian didn't get angry. Instead, he calmly analyzed the situation: "It's not a question of whether you're afraid of death or not, it's a question of whether it's worth it. It depends." He pointed at a man in overalls: "He drives a tram. There's grease between his fingernails."

Pointing to a woman wearing old glasses, he said: "She is a typist and has calluses on her right index and middle fingers.

There are also these two, although they come from the military, they are weak and alone.

Relying on a few of us to venture into the den of dragons and tigers is not bravery, it is suicide."

His accurate judgment stunned everyone present.

Jia Xiaoqi, who stood up to accuse Xu Tian, ​​was so angry that he was shaking all over. He suddenly pulled out the pistol from his waist: "You are afraid of death! I think Yi is a coward! If Yi doesn't go, we will go!"

"Xiao Qi!" he shouted at the teacher.

Xu Tian looked at Jia Xiaoqi's face, which was distorted with excitement, and a complex emotion surged in his heart.

He is not heartless. How could he remain indifferent to the country's crisis?

But he also knew that reckless sacrifice was meaningless. In the end, Xu Tian just sighed, turned and walked out the door.

However, Xu Tian still wanted to persuade Teacher Xiang and the others, so he looked at the young man named Xiao Qi and said, "How can knowing when to advance and when to retreat and when to be in a minority be considered a coward?

If you go out of this door and head east, you will see Japanese everywhere, tens of thousands of them. As the old saying goes, one is brave enough to fight ten. Can you do it?

None of us can do this, so stop talking about these unnecessary things."

As he spoke, Xu Tian looked at everyone and said in a serious tone: "Seven hundred thousand national troops, after three months of bloody battles, also retreated. Sometimes letting go is the right thing to do."

Jia Xiaoqi was silent...

Teacher Xiang looked at Xu Tian silently and said, "I'm sorry, Xu Tian, ​​even if you don't know about this."

Xu Tian looked at Teacher Xiang's lowered head and realized that Teacher Xiang would not give up. He wanted to persuade him again to save his life and not make unnecessary sacrifices.

"Teacher..."