Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

"Attention all vehicles, maintain spacing, and advance under alternating cover! Infantry, follow!" Toshio Nishimura issued the order.

He was filled with unease, but military orders were absolute, especially since this was a counterattack personally overseen by the commander.

The tank formation advanced cautiously in a wedge shape for about two hundred meters.

Everything was normal; the rebel positions opposite were deathly silent, not even the usual sniper shots.

"Could it be... that they've let their guard down?" A sliver of hope had just risen in Nishimura's heart.

suddenly!

"Boom——!!!"

A deafening roar came from beneath a Type 95 light tank on the far left of the formation!

The explosion instantly engulfed the small tank, which weighed less than ten tons. The huge shockwave flipped it over like a toy, breaking its tracks, twisting its turret, and killing the crew inside instantly!

"Landmines! Landmines!" The panicked cries came through the radio.

Before the other tanks could react!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"

A series of violent explosions erupted in the tank formation! A Type 97 medium tank had its tracks blown off and was paralyzed on the spot.

The other vehicle had its vulnerable bottom armor breached by the explosion, and a fire broke out inside. The ammunition detonated, sending the turret flying into the air!

"It's a pre-set explosive! It's incredibly powerful!" Nishimura realized in horror.

Ordinary anti-personnel mines could never have such destructive power.

This can only be... a pre-planted explosive specifically designed to deal with heavily armored targets!

What terrified Nishimura even more was that the explosives were clearly designed to detonate only after all the tanks had entered the ambush zone!

It was as if an unseen demon was calmly choosing the perfect moment to press the switch of death one by one!

"Retreat! Retreat now!" Nishimura roared hoarsely.

But it was too late; the tank formation had already fully entered the ambush point.

The surviving crew attempted to reverse, but in their panic, they crashed into their own tank.

Explosions rang out one after another, and steel fragments and human remains flew everywhere.

The infantry following behind the tanks suffered even more, being swept down in droves by the shockwave and shrapnel, their screams filling the air.

Nishimura's tank, thanks to its heavy armor, was fortunate enough not to be directly destroyed, but its left track was blown off, leaving it paralyzed in place.

He struggled to push open the top hatch to check the situation, and what he saw was a scene that resembled hell.

The ground was littered with burning tank wreckage, charred corpses, and wounded soldiers groaning in pain.

In just a few minutes, his proud tank squadron was almost completely wiped out.

"Why... why is it so densely packed here..." Nishimura slumped in the turret, muttering to himself in a daze.

He suddenly remembered hearing at a pre-war logistics briefing that a batch of new, specially designed anti-tank mines, using delayed-action fuses and shaped-charge charges, had been secretly transported to East China. They were originally intended for use against European-supplied tanks that the Chinese army might acquire during the future attacks on Shanghai and Nanjing… How did these mines end up here?

And the deployment was so precise?!

A terrifying thought pierced his heart like an ice pick: the rebels... They not only possessed intelligence, but could also mobilize strategic reserves. Even he, as the tank company commander, wasn't entirely clear on the exact quantity and deployment of their cutting-edge equipment!

This ambush was premeditated! The commander's counterattack plan was part of the enemy's calculations from the very beginning!

The disastrous defeat outside Taiping Gate was quickly relayed back to the bunkers inside the city gate by the infantry who managed to escape and the last few tank crews that did not enter the minefield.

"What?! The tank squadron... wiped out?!" Chief of Staff Mamoru Iinuma received the call, his face turning deathly pale, and he almost dropped the receiver.

Matsui Iwane suddenly stood up from the chair, swaying slightly, but managed to stay upright.

He snatched the phone and roared into the receiver, "Baka! How is this possible?! What kind of landmine is this?! Where did this landmine come from?!"

The report came through the phone, choked with sobs and fear: "Commander... it's a special type of landmine... extremely powerful... designed to hit the bottom of tanks... like... like the kind that were supplied to us from our stockpile as aid from the mainland..."

Matsui Iwane was struck dumb, frozen in place.

He was certainly aware of the existence of those landmines; they were one of his secret weapons, which he had high hopes for and was preparing to use against even stronger adversaries.

Now, these weapons are being used on his own most elite troops! The absurdity and despair of being killed by "his own" weapons almost drove him to the brink of collapse.

Just then, from the direction of Xiaguan, a muffled, thunderous roar, far more terrifying than any army heavy artillery, came from outside the bunker!

"BOOM...!!! BOOM...!!!"

The sound came from the surface of the Yangtze River! It was the roar of large-caliber naval guns!

A communications officer scrambled into the bunker, his face deathly pale, his voice trembling so much he could barely speak: "Report...report! Commander! Something terrible has happened!"

On the river... It's the Izumo! And other cruisers... They... They're shelling the Shimonoseki dock!

Our...our ammunition depot and...and field hospital were hit!

"Baka! You're talking nonsense!" The Izumo-class ship has an outdated design and a deep draft, making it unsuitable for maneuvering in complex waterways.

More importantly, the Chinese army set up underwater obstacles, making it difficult for large warships to pass! Tell me, how did the Izumo get here?!

Did the Navy carry it over?!

"Commander! It's true, the Navy really brought the Izumo here!!"

It really is the Izumo!!

The recent prolonged rainfall in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River caused the river level to rise.

At this time, not only the "Izumo" but also the light cruisers "Kinu", "Yura", "Natori", and "Yubari" were also on board!

The destroyers "Kikuzuki", "Mochizuki", "Yuzuki", and "Harukaze" have all arrived!

Plus Anzai, Toba, Hozu, Hira and other shallow water gunboats!

The Third Fleet has really arrived!!!

As if to confirm his words, even more intense and violent explosions came from the direction of Xiaguan. Even several kilometers away, one could feel the ground shaking noticeably beneath one's feet.

In the sky, one could even see the dark red trajectories of the shells piercing the night, like the whip of death lashing the edge of the city bordering the Yangtze River.

Matsui Iwane stumbled out of the shelter and, with the help of the guards, climbed up a relatively intact section of the nearby city wall.

He raised his binoculars and looked southwest towards Xiaguan.

The sight that came into view made his blood freeze.

On the Yangtze River, the massive silhouette of the armored cruiser "Izumo" resembled a floating steel fortress, illuminated by the beams of searchlights and the muzzle flashes of its guns.

Its four twin 203mm main guns were rhythmically spewing out huge fireballs, sending high-explosive shells weighing over 100 kilograms crashing into the Shimonoseki dock area with near-vertical trajectories!

That place was the last important supply depot of the Central China Expeditionary Army, storing the remaining ammunition, medicine, and food.

That place was also home to the largest field hospital, which housed thousands of seriously wounded soldiers transferred from various parts of the city!