Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

The scene inside the city was shocking.

The once bustling streets have been reduced to endless piles of rubble, and the charred beams and pillars resemble withered bones pointing towards the gray sky.

The air was filled with the stench of gunpowder, dust, rotting corpses, and the sweet, nauseating smell of festering wounds.

The Third Fleet blockaded the Yangtze River, and the land forces were besieged. Logistics were completely cut off, and food reserves had long been exhausted. Soldiers relied on scavenging the meager remaining rice and grain in the city, and even slaughtered military horses.

To survive, they caught rats; hunger caused many to develop sunken eyes and stagger.

Ammunition was extremely scarce. On average, each soldier received less than twenty rifle bullets. Light machine guns became useless. The few remaining field guns on the artillery positions were also running out of shells and could only be used in the most critical moments.

The wounded soldiers were in the most dire situation. The makeshift field hospitals, often just relatively intact basements or corners of ruins, were already overcrowded and lacked medical care and medicine.

Without anesthesia, the amputation surgery could only be performed with strong liquor for disinfection, and the sounds of sawing bones and screams were constant.

The bandages were reused repeatedly, becoming soaked with pus and blood, leading to rampant infection and sepsis.

The soldiers of the Central China Expeditionary Army finally understood the difficult situation faced by the Chinese defenders during their initial resistance.

Every day, a large number of wounded soldiers died in agony, their bodies hastily buried or simply abandoned.

Morale had plummeted to rock bottom; the soldiers' eyes were numb, and the former arrogance of the "Imperial Army" had long been replaced by fear, exhaustion, and deep confusion.

Incidents of desertion and self-harm occurred frequently, and the authority of officers appeared pale and powerless in the face of the instinct for survival.

The constant broadcasts from the "rebels" urging surrender and the navy's inflammatory leaflets further exacerbated the demoralization of the people.

Deep underground in the former Ministry of Railways building of the Nationalist government, in a heavily guarded and almost completely isolated temporary command post, General Matsui Iwane, commander of the Central China Expeditionary Army, was experiencing the darkest moment of his military career and even his life.

The once spirited "general" who commanded thousands of troops to break through China's defenses is now emaciated, his gray hair is disheveled, his eyes are sunken and covered with spider web-like blood vessels, and his military uniform is wrinkled and wrapped around his body, making him look even more haggard.

The air inside the command post was thick and murky, illuminated only by a few flickering gas lamps. The huge battle map hanging on the wall now resembled a death map marked with despair.

A series of bad news followed: the loss of key positions, the deaths of important generals, the complete cutoff of supplies, and the navy's almost humiliating "letter of surrender."

Like a heavy hammer, it repeatedly struck his already fragile nerves.

He would sometimes fly into a rage, smashing anything he could get his hands on, and cursing "traitors" and "naval idiots."

Sometimes he would fall into a long, blank stare at the map, muttering to himself.

He was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

However, the survival instinct ingrained in their bones and the stubbornness of soldiers who would not allow themselves to give up completely ultimately overwhelmed despair.

In a top-secret meeting late at night attended by only a few core staff members, Matsui Iwane, as if experiencing a final burst of energy, proposed an extremely risky, almost insane breakout plan in a hoarse, almost torn voice.

His withered fingers trembled as he heavily poked a point on the map, southeast of Nanjing: Jurong.

"We can't... we can't just sit here and wait to die!" His voice echoed in the cramped basement, filled with a hysterical resolve: "The 18th and 114th Divisions... they're still on the outskirts! They're not completely surrounded yet!"

Matsui Iwane was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently. His gaze swept over the equally ashen-faced Chief of Staff Major General Iinuma Mamoru, Deputy Chief of Staff Colonel Muto Akira, Colonel Uemura Toshimichi, and others.

"Order them! Change their mission immediately! Abandon the attempt to directly reinforce Nanjing! That's no longer possible!" He almost roared. "Have them concentrate all the troops that can still move, all the remaining artillery and vehicles, and form a powerful assault group!"

Southeast, Jurong! Yes, Jurong! Cut a bloody path through them, charge out!

He leaned over the map, his finger tracing a dotted line from the outskirts of Nanjing to Jurong.

"As long as... as long as they can break through! Jump to the outside, they can survive! They can gain room to maneuver!"

A near-illusory light gleamed in Matsui Iwane's eyes: "At that time, they can harass the rebels' supply lines, preventing them from coordinating their efforts! They can try to turn towards Hangzhou Bay and perhaps make contact with the garrison there!"

Even... even possibly, they could outflank those traitors in the Kwantung Army and coordinate with our troops inside the city... a coordinated attack from within!"

Towards the end, his voice became shrill with excitement, but was immediately interrupted by a violent cough.

He leaned on the table, his body trembling slightly.

The plan sounded like a glimmer of hope, but every staff officer present knew in their hearts that it was more like a drowning person grasping at the last straw—vague, illusory, and incredibly fragile.

This breakout plan was shrouded in a huge shadow from its inception, filled with unrealistic fantasies and fatal weaknesses.

First, the 18th and 114th Divisions, which were tasked with breaking out, were in dire straits themselves.

These two divisions had already suffered heavy losses in the previous battles around Nanjing and in dealing with the "rebel" sieges, and their troops were exhausted and their equipment was incomplete.

The 114th Division was mainly composed of supplementary troops, so its combat effectiveness was already limited.

To send them to launch a breakout attack into enemy-controlled territory while surrounded by powerful enemies would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

Secondly, the choice of a breakthrough direction may seem reasonable, but in reality, it is fraught with danger.

Although the Jurong direction was a relatively weak link in the "rebel" encirclement, it was not without defenses.

Elite units such as the 2nd Division of the Kwantung Army were heavily deployed in this direction, and the complex terrain made it difficult for large forces to move quickly.

Even if they managed to break through by chance, how much survival capability and strategic action could the two isolated armies, lacking food and ammunition, have in the vast enemy-occupied territory after losing Nanjing as a strong support point?

The so-called "harassment of logistics" and "coordination from within and without" are almost impossible tasks to accomplish without unified command and effective communication.

Furthermore, this plan was entirely based on the wishful thinking that the "rebels" would react slowly and that the Japanese army would provide assistance from other directions.

It overlooked the Kwantung Army's resolute determination and the real threats such as the navy's blockade of the Yangtze River.

However, in this absolute predicament where there is no way to go up or down, this plan is the only possibility for Matsui Iwane and the remnants of the Central China Expeditionary Army, and it seems to be the last choice.

Matsui Iwane refused to give up and surrendered voluntarily, choosing to continue besieging Nanjing with the North China Area Army, which could only result in the annihilation of the entire army.

Breaking through offers at least a sliver of theoretical chance of survival.

This is a fantasy born of despair, a tragic act of doing something knowing it's impossible.