Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

When the battle was at its fiercest, the soldiers engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese troops who rushed to the position.

If the bayonet broke, they would smash it with the butt of the gun. If the butt of the gun broke, they would hug each other and roll down the cliff.

The blood mixed with the rain dyed the rocks dark red.

However, the gap in weapons and equipment cannot be made up by courage.

Relying on its absolute firepower advantage, the Japanese army gradually eroded the defenders' positions.

On October 24, the old pass was lost and the main position of Niangzi Pass was exposed to Japanese artillery fire.

Under the cover of aircraft and artillery, the Japanese army launched a general attack on the main position of Niangzi Pass.

"Commander-in-Chief, the right wing position has been lost!"

"Central position requests reinforcements!"

"We're running out of ammunition!"

Bad news reached the headquarters one after another.

Sun Lianzhong's face turned pale. He knew that Niangzi Pass could no longer be defended, but retreating at this time would lead to the collapse of the entire Xinkou defense line.

"Send a telegram to Commander Yan. Niangzi Pass is in imminent danger. Our army has suffered heavy casualties and may not be able to hold it for long. Please ask for instructions on the next steps." Sun Lianzhong said solemnly.

At this moment, there was a sudden noise outside the command center.

An old soldier covered in blood stumbled in and said, "Commander-in-Chief, the Snow Mountain position has been lost!

Our entire camp was wiped out..." He fainted before he could finish his words.

Sun Lianzhong walked to the map and closed his eyes in pain.

Xuehua Mountain is the commanding height of the Niangzi Pass defense line. Once this point is lost, the entire line will be shaken.

While Sun Lianzhong's troops were fighting hard, Yan Xishan was anxious in the Taiyuan command headquarters.

"Report! The Japanese troops on the east route have occupied Ceshi and are approaching Shouyang!"

"The Eighth Route Army attacked the Japanese transport convoy and seized important documents, revealing the Japanese army's plan to encircle the rear of Niangzi Pass!"

Bad news came like snowflakes.

Yan Xishan stood in front of a huge military map, the red and blue pencils in his hands trembling slightly.

As the "local emperor" who ruled Shanxi for nearly twenty years, he understood better than anyone what the fall of Niangzi Pass meant.

"What's the situation in Xinkou?" he asked the chief of staff beside him.

"The battle is still going on, but the casualties have reached two-thirds, and it's difficult to sustain."

Yan Xishan sighed.

Continuing to hold on would only lead to the annihilation of the entire army.

Late at night on October 30, after a painful decision, he issued the difficult order to abandon Niangzi Pass and retreat across the board.

When the retreat order reached the Niangzi Pass front line, Sun Lianzhong was silent for a long time.

He felt heartbroken as he looked at the soldiers who were still fighting bloody battles on the battlefield.

"Follow your orders," he said finally, his voice hoarse.

The retreat began in the night rain.

There were too many wounded and not enough stretchers, so the lightly wounded had to support each other as they walked.

In order to avoid being discovered by Japanese aircraft, the troops could only take small mountain roads.

On the muddy road, the soldiers struggled forward, taking one step deep and one step shallow.

What's worse, due to poor communication, some troops did not receive the retreat order in time and were still fighting alone on their positions.

When they discovered it, their retreat had been cut off by the Japanese army.

On a small hill southeast of Niangzi Pass, a company of defenders fought until the last bullet.

Before his death, the company commander carved on the rock with his bayonet: "I swear to live and die with the pass."

The Japanese army soon discovered that the Chinese army was retreating and immediately launched a pursuit.

Mechanized troops advanced rapidly along the highway, attempting to encircle and annihilate the retreating Chinese troops.

The retreat quickly turned into a rout.

The roads were crowded with soldiers, refugees, livestock and baggage wagons.

Japanese planes dived and strafed from time to time, causing even greater chaos.

The soldiers threw away their weapons and armor and were in complete disarray.

Due to the loss of Niangzi Pass on the east road, Taiyuan was attacked from both sides. On November 2, Yan Xishan had to order the abandonment of the Xinkou position.

The Battle of Xinkou lasted 23 days, with the Chinese army suffering over 100,000 casualties and the Japanese army suffering about 20,000 casualties.

The troops that had fought a bloody battle at Xinkou could have retreated in an orderly manner, but because Niangzi Pass was lost too quickly and their flanks were completely exposed, they had to retreat in a hurry.

Many seriously injured soldiers had to be abandoned on the roadside, their cries were particularly mournful in the autumn wind.

Damn, what kind of battle is this! "An old soldier, his face covered in gunpowder, cursed as he ran: "We're still holding on in the front, but we're getting stabbed in the back!"

The retreating torrent rushed towards Taiyuan.

The villagers along the way were panicked and joined the fleeing crowd. The road was littered with abandoned luggage and dead animals, a tragic scene.

Yan Xishan tried to organize a new defense line north of Taiyuan, but he suffered a crushing defeat and the retreating troops had lost their combat effectiveness.

On November 2, worse news came. The Japanese army in the north broke through Shiling Pass, and the Japanese army in the east occupied Yuci, forming a pincer encirclement of Taiyuan.

At the Taiyuan Command Headquarters, Yan Xishan convened an emergency military meeting.

The generals all looked solemn and the conference room was filled with smoke.

"The current situation is clear," Yan Xishan said in a low voice. "Taiyuan may be difficult to hold. To preserve our strength for another battle, I have decided... to abandon Taiyuan."

As soon as the words came out, everyone in the room was shocked.

Although everyone knows that this is the only option, it is still hard to accept when these words are actually spoken out loud.

Taiyuan is not only the capital of Shanxi, but also an important industrial base and strategic location in North China.

"General Fu Zuoyi." Yan Xishan looked at the commander of the 35th Army sitting in the corner and said, "The important task of defending the city is now entrusted to you. I hope you can buy time for the army to move."

Fu Zuoyi slowly stood up and saluted solemnly: "My department will defend Taiyuan to the death and live and die with the city!"

When the order to retreat reached all units, the morale of the troops completely collapsed.

The officers tried desperately to maintain order, but to no avail.

The chaos reached its peak on the road leading to the Fen River ferry.

The artillerymen pushed the artillery that they could not take away into the river with tears, and the engineering troops began to blow up bridges and important facilities.

Huge explosions rang out one after another, and black smoke covered the sky over Taiyuan, as if the end of the world had come.

As the sun sets, the retreating troops struggle forward in the dust.

The soldiers were exhausted, but the fire of indomitable spirit still burned in their eyes.

On a small dirt slope beside the road, several soldiers discovered a stone tablet engraved with a poem by Qi Jiguang, a famous Ming Dynasty general: "I do not desire to be a marquis, but I wish the seas were peaceful."

A young soldier whispered these words, and the soldiers around him fell silent.

Suddenly, the roar of an airplane was heard in the distance.

"Enemy planes! Scatter!"

The soldiers scattered and hid, but their eyes were all looking towards the north, towards Taiyuan.

They knew that another city was about to fall, another land to be ravaged.

But no one uttered the word "surrender".

. . . . . . . . . . .

At four o'clock in the morning on November 5, 1937, the city of Taiyuan was shrouded in the chill of late autumn.

The Japanese 10th Army landed at Jinshanwei, completely changing the situation in the Battle of Shanghai.

Zhou Zhengqing was defeated by the system.

And in Shanxi, the important city of Taiyuan also began a fierce battle on this day.

Fu Zuoyi stood on the roof of the Pacification Office, looking at the flickering flames on the northern skyline.

That was the Japanese heavy artillery bombarding the last line of defense outside the city.

The cold wind blew in with the smell of gunpowder, foreshadowing the upcoming bloody battle.

"Commander-in-chief, Queen's Garden has fallen, and the enemy's vanguard has arrived at the factory area in the north of the city." Chief of Staff Chen Bingqian's voice sounded particularly heavy in the darkness.

Fu Zuoyi did not look back. His hands were tightly gripping the pistol at his waist, his knuckles turning white from the force.

At this moment, he recalled his last meeting with Yan Xishan on the bank of the Fen River three days ago.

The Shanxi ruler was already preparing to retreat westward. Before leaving, he shook his hand and said, "Yisheng, I entrust Taiyuan to you."