Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

When Matsui Iwane, at his headquarters in Nanjing, received both Yanagawa Heisuke's plea for help and a detailed report on the Jinshanwei incident, he felt a wave of dizziness and almost suffocated.

He originally thought that Zhou Zhengqing's counterattack would at most be political pressure and a demonstration by some troops, but he never expected that the other side would be so ruthless, directly using two fully equipped local divisions to open up the situation in such a bloody way!

"They... how dare they... how dare they..." Matsui Iwane slumped in his chair, his face ashen, his fingers trembling as he pointed incoherently at the locations of Jinshanwei and Songjiang on the map.

He is now besieged on all sides, with four Kwantung Army divisions at the gates to the west, their intentions unclear.

To the south are the 7th and 8th Divisions, which have just annihilated the 10th Army and are rapidly advancing north, along with the regrouping military police!

A tremendous fear gripped him.

He went mad, sending more than a dozen telegrams to the Kyoto headquarters, the content of which quickly changed from initial questioning and protest to pleas and calls for help.

"Nanjing is in imminent danger! I request immediate intervention from headquarters! Stop the mutiny! Save me!"

However, the telegrams sent back from Tokyo were always the same few empty, bureaucratic sentences: "The situation is known, and we are urgently mediating. We hope you will remain calm and avoid escalating the conflict..."

The ambiguity and delays at headquarters plunged Matsui Iwane into utter despair.

He understood that he had been abandoned and had become a victim of this brutal power struggle.

The skies over Nanjing were not only shrouded in the blood and tears of the Chinese people, but also filled with the bloody infighting within the Japanese army.

The prelude to a thunderous counterattack has begun, and an even more violent storm is about to sweep across this ancient capital that has endured countless hardships.

. . . . . . .

Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, General Staff Headquarters of the Imperial Japanese Army.

This building, which symbolizes the empire's highest military command, is now filled with an atmosphere of near-suffocating panic.

Compared to the bloodshed on the Nanjing front and the troop movements in Central China, the war here was invisible, yet equally deadly. This was the heart of a series of internal political storms that determined the fate of the Imperial Army and even the direction of the nation.

Inside the spacious yet oppressive operations hall, the arrows and symbols representing Japanese troops on the huge military map of Central China were in disarray, and this disarray was clearly reflected on the gloomy and anxious faces of every senior general present.

"Baka! What on earth is going on?! The fourth, second, twelfth, and 101st elite divisions have broken away from command and are advancing towards Nanjing!"

The 7th and 8th Divisions landed at Jinshanwei, not to provide support, but instead to execute a battalion of soldiers from the 10th Army?!

What are they trying to do? A mutiny?! This is blatant rebellion!

Army Minister General Sugiyama Gen could no longer maintain his usual composure. He waved a thick stack of telegrams in his hand, his voice trembling violently with extreme anger and disbelief, and spittle almost landed on the face of Chief of the General Staff Kurai Hitaro, who was standing in front of him.

On one side sat Prince Kan'in, a highly respected old prince of the imperial family, whose face was also extremely grim.

He pursed his lips tightly, his hands, covered in age spots, gripped the marshal's staff so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force.

He understood the gravity of the situation better than Sugiyama Gen; it was not merely a military breach of order, but a blatant challenge and contempt for the highest authority of the military, headed by him.

"Sugiyama-kun, calm down!" Kurai Hitaro's voice was low and hoarse, carrying a kind of authority that he was trying hard to maintain: "Roaring won't solve the problem! The most important thing now is to figure out where all this is coming from."

Who gave them such audacity?!

"The source? Is that even a question?!" Hata Shunroku, who succeeded Terauchi Hisaichi as the Director of Education, suddenly stood up and pointed to the location of Tianjin on the map: "All the clues point to the same person, the commander of the Tianjin Military Police, Takasaki Takuto!"

The 4th Division had a long-standing business relationship with him, and the first thing the 7th and 8th Divisions did after landing was to rescue his military police battalion! And look at this!

He picked up another document, a translated article from a European or American newspaper that had just been intercepted through diplomatic channels. It was headlined in bold: "Internal strife breaks out on the Japanese East China front, suspected to be an intense power struggle at the top."

"The international community is already laughing at us!" Hata Shunroku said in a deep voice. "We must take decisive measures immediately!"

I suggest that, in the name of His Majesty the Emperor and the General Headquarters, an ultimatum be issued directly to Division Commanders Matsui Nobuyoshi, Sakamoto Seiemon, and others, ordering them to immediately cease all hostile actions, return to their original positions, and accept investigation!

Those who disobey will be punished for treason, and the Central China Expeditionary Army is authorized to carry out a violent crackdown!

"Suppression? You make it sound so easy!" Major General Muto Akira, the head of the Military Affairs Bureau, immediately objected. He was known for his shrewdness and pragmatism: "Tada-kun, have you thought about this?"

Now there are four, no, with the 7th and 8th Divisions, there are six Class A special divisions involved in this "anomaly"!

They are well-equipped and in high spirits... Regardless of their reasons for fighting, their combat strength should not be underestimated!

Order Matsui Iwane to suppress the rebellion? His Central China Expeditionary Army has just suffered heavy casualties and low morale after a fierce battle, and there is probably a lot of panic within the army. Who can he command?

His attempt to suppress it will only lead to a large-scale civil war!

"When the Chinese battlefield collapses completely, how will we explain ourselves to His Majesty the Emperor? How will we explain ourselves to the people?!"

"Are we just going to let them run rampant?!" Hata Shunroku slammed his fist on the long table covered with maps, making teacups rattle. "Where is the discipline of the Empire? Where is the dignity of the army?!"

If we compromise this time, will any division commander then be able to amass power and disobey orders simply because they believe they have merit or have powerful backers? This would be a fatal blow to the "command authority"!

The meeting descended into heated debate. The "radicals," represented by Tada Shun, advocated for a hardline crackdown, while the "realists," represented by Muto Akira, favored cautious mediation.

Hardliners believe that authority cannot be challenged and that military discipline must be maintained with an iron fist.

Realists, on the other hand, worried that the outbreak of civil war would undo all the gains made in the invasion of China, and could even lead to unpredictable political consequences.

Both sides stuck to their own versions of events, neither able to convince the other, and the air was thick with tension.

Finally, seeing that a real-life showdown was about to unfold in the conference room, Hitaro Kurai rubbed his temples and said, "Shunroku Hata, since you advocate for a hardline approach..."

Then you can go and communicate with that kid Takasaki Takuto.

Show your current tough stance. That brat Takasaki Takuto is the root of all this trouble. Once we deal with him, all the problems will be solved.