Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Even more extreme, some Osaka soldiers who had sold out of their "goods" directly asked if they needed bodyguards, saying that hiring them would eliminate any worries about being robbed by other Japanese soldiers.

Some of the more astute soldiers also took the opportunity to infiltrate the city, engaging in black market transactions on one hand, and secretly scouting the deployment, morale, and terrain of the Central China Expeditionary Army within the city on the other. They then sent this intelligence back to the divisional command outside the city through secret channels.

Senior officers in the 4th Division, such as Regiment Commander Taro Shigeno, were fully aware of their subordinates' actions.

Instead of strictly prohibiting it, they believed that it could solve part of the supply problem, earn extra money, and gather intelligence, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop.

When Division Commander Matsui learned of this, he could only give a helpless wry smile and say to Chief of Staff Okada Suke, "These guys... they really never forget their profession, no matter where they go."

However... perhaps this accidental discovery will allow us to better understand the true situation within the city.

This instinct, which is ingrained in their very being, became an alternative and highly effective reconnaissance and psychological tactic in this extremely bizarre environment. It also caused great confusion and a sense of infiltration among the already tense soldiers of the Central China Expeditionary Army.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Inside Nanjing, the various units of the Central China Expeditionary Army, which had just experienced a frenzied looting after the city fell, suddenly plummeted from the clouds of victory into the abyss of siege, plunging into extreme panic, confusion, and chaos.

Initially, when scouts reported that a large number of Japanese troops were approaching from the outside, some junior officers and soldiers thought it was the long-awaited reinforcements or troop rotation, and some even excitedly prepared to welcome the "friendly forces".

But when they saw with their own eyes the enemy quickly deploying into battle formation, cannons removing their covers, machine guns being set up, and all fortifications facing into the city, everyone was stunned, followed by a chilling fear.

"Who...whose unit are they? Why are their guns pointed at us?!"

"It's the 2nd Division! And the 4th Division... the elite of the Kwantung Army!"

"Look south! Yuhuatai is lost! It's the 7th and 8th Divisions!"

"We're surrounded by our own people!!??"

Panic spread explosively among the Central China Expeditionary Force like a plague.

The soldiers had just survived the brutal siege and hadn't even had time to process the illusion of "victory" before they found themselves lost and bewildered.

The soldiers at the rank and file were filled with anxiety and confusion.

The mid-level officer attempted to stabilize the situation, but his command failed.

The upper command system was almost paralyzed.

In the Ministry of Railways building in the north of the city, in the command post of General Matsui Iwane, commander of the Central China Expeditionary Army, the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Bad news came like snowflakes, each report like a heavy hammer blow to his already fragile nerves:

"Commander! The Guanghua Gate area has been completely blocked by the 4th Division. Our personnel cannot enter or leave, and the other side's attitude is extremely tough!"

"Report! At Yuhuatai, the outer perimeter of Zhonghua Gate has been forcibly taken over by the 7th Division. Our defending troops have been driven away, and the other side claims to be under orders to 'maintain order'!"

"Radio interception revealed that the enemy's divisions communicated frequently, but ignored or gave perfunctory responses to all our calls! The liaison officers we sent were all detained!"

Matsui Iwane was pale and sweating profusely. He paced back and forth in his office like a caged beast, sometimes flying into a rage, sometimes slumping down in despair.

Still clinging to the illusion of high-level intervention, Matsui Iwane did not organize troops to block the enemy from the outside, abandoning all outer positions and retreating his forces into Nanjing.

Before the higher-ups could resolve the issue, their own troops were already at the city gates...

He roared at his communications officer, his voice hoarse: "Send a telegram! Send another telegram to Kyoto! With the most urgent secret telegram! Tell Minister Sugiyama Motohito, tell Prince Kan'in! The rebels have reached the city gates and have completed the encirclement of Nanjing!"

A mutiny is imminent! We request that General Headquarters take immediate and decisive action to send troops to suppress it!

Otherwise, the Imperial Army will lose face, and the great cause of the Holy War will be ruined! Hurry! Hurry!

However, the telegrams replying from Kyoto were always the same few weak and ineffective official statements: "The situation is known, and we are doing our best to mediate. We hope your department will exercise maximum restraint and avoid any actions that may provoke conflict. We await further instructions..."

This perfunctory attitude and procrastination made Matsui Iwane feel a chilling despair, as if he had been completely abandoned by his country and his superiors.

Driven by Matsui Iwane's strict orders and the instinct for survival, the various units of the Central China Expeditionary Army inside the city reluctantly mobilized to try to establish a defensive line and confront the "rebels" outside the city.

However, this standoff was filled with panic and helplessness from the very beginning.

At Guanghua Gate, a group of soldiers from the 16th Division, responsible for the defense, nervously lay behind sandbags, watching the fortifications being reinforced by soldiers from the 7th Division a few hundred meters away.

The other party's cold eyes and menacing gun barrels sent chills down their spines.

"Hey... brothers over there... what... what are you doing?" A bold soldier from the Central China Expeditionary Army couldn't help but shout.

His response was the cold click of a gun being pulled back and a stern rebuke: "Shut up! Follow orders! Get any closer and you're dead!"

The defending soldiers shrank back in fright, looking at each other with fear and confusion on their faces.

They couldn't understand why their former comrades-in-arms had turned into enemies overnight.

The same situation applies at Zhonghua Gate.

The soldiers of the 6th Division felt utterly absurd and confused as they looked at the "Osaka merchant soldiers" on the 4th Division's positions outside the city, who occasionally made transactions and some even secretly waved to them to do business.

This ambiguous state of being both enemy and friend, between war and peace, greatly undermined their fighting spirit.

Similar standoffs occurred at city gates and high points in all directions.

The soldiers of the Central China Expeditionary Army were demoralized and panicked.

They had just endured a fierce siege and were exhausted both physically and mentally. Now they had to face their own people, who had an absolute advantage in numbers, equipment, and morale. They had no chance of winning at all.

Many soldiers harbored resentment, believing that infighting at the top levels was driving them to their deaths.

The desire to flee and avoid war began to spread like wildfire.

The officers were unable to quell the unrest, and the entire defense system was on the verge of collapse.

In this unprecedented standoff within the Japanese army, those who felt the most horror, confusion, and a certain absurd hope were the remnants of the Chinese army who had not yet completely withdrawn from the outskirts of Nanjing, or who were forced to remain in the ruins and hiding places within the city, as well as countless civilians struggling on the brink of death.

Several remnants of the Chinese army, hiding in the ruins of the Purple Mountain Observatory or the dense forests of Qixia Mountain, witnessed through their binoculars a sight they would never have imagined for the rest of their lives:

"My God... the Japanese devils... the Japanese devils are fighting amongst themselves?"

"Look! The Japanese devils coming from the east have pointed their cannons at the city! The Japanese devils inside the city are digging fortifications! They're fighting amongst themselves!"

"Over there... what are those Japanese soldiers doing? It looks like they're... doing business? Exchanging goods?"