Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Sakamoto Seiemon quickly summoned his main regimental commanders, including the commanders of the 25th, 26th, and 27th Infantry Regiments and the 7th Field Artillery Regiment, and issued orders to prepare for a forced landing and subsequent assault missions.

The same scene also occurred on the transport ship of the 8th Division.

A tense and somber atmosphere permeated the fleet. Although the soldiers were unaware of what was happening, they could all sense the unusual solemnity on the officers' faces.

At dawn on December 11, a scene appeared on the sea off Jinshanwei on the north shore of Hangzhou Bay that astonished the garrison on the shore.

The massive fleet did not disperse as usual, but instead deployed directly into a landing formation. Small landing craft, like arrows released from a bow, were fully loaded with soldiers from the 7th and 8th Divisions and rushed toward the beach.

The garrison on the shore consisted of a small number of logistics and guard troops left behind by the 10th Army.

They watched in panic as this unexpected "friendly force" landed in combat formation. They tried to approach and ask questions, but were ruthlessly driven back by the vanguard of the landing force with guns.

"We are the 7th/8th Division! We are ordered to carry out an emergency mission! No one is allowed to obstruct us! Anyone who disobeys will be killed on sight!"

The cold rebukes and the dark muzzles of guns stunned the soldiers of the 10th Army. They could only watch helplessly as this well-equipped and menacing force quickly occupied the beachhead, established a perimeter, and then more heavy equipment, including light tanks, armored vehicles, and towed artillery, began to land.

The login process was exceptionally smooth, with almost no significant resistance encountered.

Sakamoto Seiemon and Tsukada Osamu's command post then landed.

Without a moment's hesitation, the two division commanders immediately ordered their troops to advance at a rapid pace along the route taken by the 10th Army when it attacked Shanghai several months earlier, towards the Songjiang area in the northwest.

This was a true forced march.

Soldiers, carrying heavy equipment, ran along the muddy field ridges and broken roads of Jiangnan in winter.

The engines of tanks and armored vehicles roared as they crushed all obstacles.

The officers kept urging and spurring the troops forward.

Their target was very clear: the abandoned warehouse near Songjiang County, which was heavily guarded by the 10th Army and used to imprison the Yuichi Ichijo Military Police Battalion.

The Chinese people along the way fled in terror from the Japanese army that swept through like a hurricane.

Some scattered Chinese guerrillas were also bewildered by this sudden large-scale military operation. They dared not attack rashly and could only watch from afar, filled with doubt.

That afternoon, an advance armored unit from the 7th Division was the first to arrive at the target area.

It was a heavily guarded compound located on the outskirts of Songjiang City, with barbed wire on the high walls and sandbag fortifications at the entrance, guarded by about three hundred soldiers from the 10th Army.

The advance team commander, a colonel from the 7th Division, drove his armored vehicle straight to the gate and shouted to the panicked sentries, "I am the commander of the 26th Infantry Regiment of the 7th Division!"

"By urgent orders from the Army Headquarters, we have come to take over this area! Get your commander out here immediately!"

The garrison's major, who had been summoned by the news, rushed over, his face filled with confusion and tension: "Sir! We are here on orders to guard this position... We have not received any handover orders! What proof do you have?"

"Certificate?" The colonel of the 7th Division sneered, drew his pistol, and fired a shot into the air. "This is the certificate! Open the door immediately! Otherwise, you'll be considered a traitor!"

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

The soldiers of the 10th Army also raised their guns, but they seemed to lack confidence when faced with the elite 7th Division, which had an absolute advantage in both quantity and quality.

Just then, Sakamoto Seiemon and Tsukada Osamu arrived with the main force.

Lieutenant General Sakamoto, mounted on his horse, his face grim, issued an ultimatum directly to the 10th Army's major company commander: "In the name of a Lieutenant General of the Imperial Army, I order you to hand over all detained military police personnel and disarm your unit within ten minutes!"

Failure to comply by the deadline will be considered disobedience, and the consequences will be borne by the individual!

Faced with the intimidating presence of a lieutenant general and the menacing army surrounding him, the major of the 10th Army completely broke down. Trembling, he ordered the gates to be opened.

Soldiers from the 7th and 8th Divisions flooded into the courtyard like a tide.

They found Yusuke Ichijo and hundreds of military police officers who had been detained for several days in the warehouse.

When Yusuke Ichijo saw that the rescuers were actually a division from the homeland, he was first stunned, then his eyes blazed with ecstasy and a thirst for revenge.

However, the rescue operation did not end there.

An even bloodier scene is about to unfold.

Yusuke Ichijo pointed at the former 10th Army guards who had been disarmed and were huddled in the corner, trembling with fear, and sternly accused them: "General! These people insulted, abused, and even robbed us of our property during our detention!"

They disregarded military discipline; their crimes are heinous!

The 10th Army major in charge of guarding them stared dumbfounded at Yusuke Ichijo's ramblings. He wouldn't dare do such a thing; he practically wanted to treat Yusuke and the other military police like royalty.

I'm usually too afraid to even speak loudly, for fear of being held accountable later.

But now...

Yusuke Ichijo's words were undoubtedly a death sentence. Sakamoto Seiemon remained expressionless and ordered the regimental commander beside him: "All personnel of the 10th Army who participated in guarding and abusing their military police colleagues shall be executed on the spot in accordance with wartime military law! As a warning to others!"

Upon receiving the order, the entire courtyard fell into a deathly silence, which was then broken by the desperate cries and pleas for mercy from the soldiers of the Tenth Army.

But nothing can be changed.

The military police, having regained their weapons, escorted these former "friendly troops" who had guarded them to the wall. Amidst a chorus of mournful cries, a volley of gunfire erupted!

boom! boom! boom!

The gunfire was intense and cold, lasting for several minutes.

More than 300 soldiers of the 10th Army fell in pools of blood, their blood staining the land of Songjiang red.

This bloody execution was not just for revenge, but also sent a very strong signal that anyone who dares to defy the military police system will pay with their life!

Yusuke Ichijo was rescued and rearmed. He immediately reorganized the military police force and joined forces with the 7th and 8th Divisions.

Without pausing, the mixed force immediately accelerated its advance northwest toward Nanjing.

Their presence was like a sharp dagger already drawn, pressed against the back of the Central China Expeditionary Army, especially the 10th Army.

The news spread as quickly as a plague.

The first person to learn of this was Yanagawa Heisuke, commander of the 10th Army, who was directing the mopping-up operations of the remaining troops on the outskirts of Nanjing.

When he heard that one of his squadrons had been executed by “friendly forces” as a whole, he was so shocked that he almost fell off his chair. He then flew into a rage, but what followed was a deep-seated fear.

He realized that this was no longer an ordinary conflict, but a life-or-death reckoning!

While frantically sending telegrams to Matsui Iwane in Nanjing for help, he also urgently withdrew his troops, fearing they would become the next target.