Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

The news spread like wildfire to all levels of Japanese military command, and also to the Tokyo headquarters.

On the surface, this was a long-awaited "victory", a re-emergence of the imperial army's military fortune, and a sign that the road to Nanjing, the capital of China, had been opened.

Inside the Central China Expeditionary Force Headquarters, the staff officers finally showed a look of relief on their faces and began to busily mark the new battle line on the map, planning the next step in the pursuit towards Nanjing.

However, in the center of this "victory" atmosphere, the office of General Iwane Matsui, commander of the Central China Expeditionary Force, was filled with a heaviness and depression that was incompatible with the outside world.

Matsui Iwane did not stand in front of the huge map and give speeches as usual, but sat alone behind the large desk, with his back to the door, looking out the window at the gloomy sky in the direction of Nanjing.

His back looked a little hunched, as if the ten days of torture had drained most of his energy.

On the table, there was a preliminary battle report with the ink still wet, which had just been delivered by the Chief of Staff.

The battle report listed the "brilliant results" with cold numbers: XX Chinese army divisions were annihilated, XX people were captured, countless weapons and ammunition were seized, and several strategic locations were captured. . .

But the last few lines of the battle report contained a set of shocking numbers that made Matsui Iwane's fingers tremble slightly:

"Since December 9th, our army has been fighting on the Xicheng front. We have lost approximately 32,000 soldiers, 45,000 of whom have been seriously injured and have lost their combat effectiveness, and countless others have been lightly injured."

Over 30,000 Imperial soldiers' lives! This is just a preliminary estimate; the actual number is likely much higher.

Thirty thousand! A full thirty thousand Imperial warriors! This number burned like a red-hot iron, searing the tip of Matsui Iwane's heart.

This is just the number of casualties on the Xicheng Defense Line.

Add to that the Battle of Shanghai, the attack and defense of the Wufu Line... Too many soldiers died at his hands... He didn't even dare to think about it...

Many regiments and battalions were severely damaged, or even disappeared as a whole.

How is this a victory?

This is clearly a suffocating and brutal war of attrition that has cost countless young lives!

He seemed to be able to hear the wails of the dead souls and smell the thick smell of blood wafting from the distant battlefield.

As the supreme commander, he knew better than anyone how shocking the losses were behind this "victory".

The price was so heavy that even this veteran who had been on many battlefields and was accustomed to death felt his scalp tingling and his back chilled.

But what made him even more uneasy than the heavy casualties was another bomb that he had buried with his own hands and that could explode at any time: the incident of placing the military police under house arrest.

Yudai Itai and Shunsuke Nakamura were still under strict control in their residence and guarded by his most trusted guards.

Heisuke Yanagawa also successfully controlled Yusuke Ichijo's military police battalion and cut off all external contacts.

On the surface, he successfully suppressed the "spy" planted by Takuto Takazaki in central China and cleared the "internal obstacles" to the attack on Nanjing.

However, this forced "calmness" does not bring peace of mind, but endless inner torment.

He was like a thief who had stolen something, always worried about being discovered and retaliated by his master.

Especially... that "master" far away in Tianjin... Takazaki Takuto. The expected storm did not come.

The Tianjin Military Police Command simply sent an "inquiry letter" that seemed restrained in wording but actually contained hidden ulterior motives, demanding an explanation for the "communication interruption" and "abnormal activities" of the Shanghai and Songjiang Military Police agencies, and "suggesting" the Front Command to ensure the safety of the military police personnel so that they could "perform their military discipline supervision duties normally."

And then... nothing happened.

There were no violent protests, no frantic complaints to Kyoto, no further provocative actions.

Takuto Takazaki's reaction was terrifyingly calm!

This unusual silence, like a huge, low-pressure dark cloud, enveloped Matsui Iwane's heart, making him breathless.

He would rather Takuto Takazaki be furious, would rather he use all his connections to put pressure on the headquarters, or even would rather he send more military police to cause trouble.

At least that way, he knew his opponent was in the open and knew how to respond.

But this silence... this unfathomable silence, what does it mean?

Matsui Iwane's brain was working wildly and uncontrollably, trying to guess Takuto Takazaki's intentions.

Is he enduring and waiting for a more fatal blow?

Like a poisonous snake, it is always silent before attacking.

Is Takuto Takazaki secretly collecting more deadly evidence, preparing to deal him a devastating blow at the critical moment?

For example, linking his actions of placing his colleagues under house arrest and disrupting military discipline with the heavy casualties on the Xicheng front, and accusing him of "persecuting loyal officials in order to shirk responsibility for the defeat"?

Has he already reached some kind of tacit understanding with certain forces in Kyoto, or even with certain people in the palace?

When Matsui Iwane thought that Prince Jingren was right next to Takuto Takazaki, he felt an inexplicable chill.

He had heard about the Emperor's concerns about the expansion of military power.

Does Takuto Takazaki's silence mean that he is operating at a higher level and preparing to use political means to completely liquidate himself?

Or is it that he simply disdains to confront himself head-on, and is instead planning a bigger and more terrifying chess game?

This thought made Matsui Iwane feel an inexplicable fear.

He was finding it increasingly difficult to understand Takuto Takazaki.

From a series of precise and incisive provocations by the military police system to the current unnatural calm... How much power and scheming does this person possess?

"Madman! The military police commander in Tianjin is an unreasonable madman!" Matsui Iwane would sometimes roar silently in his heart when he was extremely anxious.

He couldn't understand the logic behind Takuto's behavior.

We are all soldiers of the Empire, why are we fighting among ourselves?

Why did he want to be killed? This incomprehensible and unpredictable situation deepened his fear of Takazaki Takuto.

He felt that he was not fighting with a younger colleague, but was playing a game with a devil hidden in the fog who did not play by the rules.

This fear and torment are gradually eroding his sanity and judgment.

He needs victory, a big victory that can cover up all problems and make him invincible!

Xicheng's "bitter victory" was far from enough! He needed to capture Nanjing! He needed to use the unparalleled "glorious military exploits" of conquering the capital of China to build a talisman!

His eyes were fixed on the point marked "Nanjing" on the map, and an almost morbid fire burned in his eyes, a mixture of greed, fear and madness.

"Nanjing...must be taken! Must be taken as soon as possible!" He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse and distorted: "Only by taking Nanjing can I prove my worth to Kyoto!

Only then can those who doubt me and want to bring me down be silenced! Only then can that bastard Takuto Takazaki's conspiracy fail!"

In his logic, the glory of conquering Nanjing would become the holy water that washed away all sins, including the huge casualties and the house arrest of his colleagues.

As long as the result is brilliant, no matter how bloody the process or how dirty the means, it can be forgiven or even praised.