Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Political opportunism: By proactively sending troops to "assist" the Kwantung Army, Takasaki Takuto also served as a gesture of goodwill, demonstrating that the North China Area Army shared his position on this matter and laying the foundation for possible future cooperation.

Having determined that the "rebels" were certain to win and that the Kwantung Army had paid a considerable price, Terauchi Hisaichi believed that the time was ripe to make his move.

He could no longer stand idly by and watch the Kwantung Army system monopolize the political benefits of capturing Nanjing and its future dominance in China.

Therefore, he decisively ordered his 14th Division to immediately head south, requesting naval transport, and rush straight to the Nanjing battlefield, aiming to block the possible retreat route of the Central China Expeditionary Army and seize advantageous terrain.

The commander of the 14th Division, Bunzaburo Kawagishi, was known in the Japanese army for his cunning, decisiveness, and skill in mobile warfare.

He understood the secret order from Terauchi Hisaichi.

This southward march, ostensibly to "assist friendly forces," is in reality a means to "seize territory." The action must be swift and ruthless!

After landing in Jiangyin, he strictly ordered his troops to abandon unnecessary baggage and advance quickly with light equipment.

The entire division, with nearly 20,000 troops and a considerable number of tanks and artillery, marched overnight along the highway and finally arrived at their designated position, the Tangshan-Chunhua Town line, southeast of Nanjing, before dawn on the 25th.

This area, with its rolling hills, is a vital passage leading to Jurong and then on to Anhui and Zhejiang provinces.

Lieutenant General Fumizaburo Kawagishi immediately ordered the troops to deploy into battle formation.

He deployed his elite 28th Brigade on the main peak of Tangshan and the surrounding highlands, constructing fortified artillery observation posts and machine gun positions.

The 27th Brigade was positioned in front of Chunhua Town, and a defensive line was set up relying on the ruins of the village and the surrounding water network and rice fields.

The 14th Field Artillery Regiment of the division quickly established firing positions in the rear, with the guns pointed directly to the west, the direction in which the 18th and 114th Divisions might break out.

He also designated the 18th Cavalry Regiment and the 14th Engineer Regiment of the division as reserves, ready to be deployed for counterattacks or to expand the breakthrough at any time.

Kawagishi Bunzaburo's orders to the front-line troops were concise, ruthless, and filled with unquestionable killing intent: "Occupy advantageous terrain and construct strong positions."

Any enemy attempting to break out from this direction, regardless of their affiliation, shall be resolutely blocked and, if necessary, annihilated! Ensure that the southeastern part of Nanjing remains entirely under our control!

This order completely extinguished the last glimmer of hope for the remnants of the Central China Expeditionary Army.

The 14th Division was well-rested, occupied advantageous terrain, was well-equipped, and had high morale.

Their opponents, the 18th and 114th Divisions, were exhausted from long battles, short of food and ammunition, and demoralized.

When news of the 14th Division's sudden appearance and attack reached the command posts of Lieutenant General Sadao Nakajima, commander of the 18th Division, and Lieutenant General Shigeharu Suematsu, commander of the 114th Division, the two generals were struck dumb and almost simultaneously collapsed into their chairs.

"The...the North China Area Army? How...how could they be here?!" Sadao Nakajima's voice was filled with disbelief and despair.

He originally planned to break through to the southeast. Although he knew that the Eastern Army was blocking his way, he thought he might be able to break through with a desperate attack.

But now, facing a well-rested and fully equipped fresh force, which is also an elite division of the Imperial Army, the success rate of breaking out has dropped from "scarce" to "zero"!

Suematsu Shigeharu's face was ashen as he muttered, "It's over... It's all over... Terauchi Hisaichi is trying to wipe us out..." His 114th Division was relatively weak, and against the ironclad defenses of the North China Area Army, it probably couldn't even muster a decent attack.

Small groups of troops attempting reconnaissance and probing attacks at the front were quickly driven back by the fierce firepower of the 14th Division, suffering heavy casualties.

The dense machine gun fire, precise artillery coverage, and occasional tank sightings on the enemy's positions clearly indicated that this was not a bluff, but an insurmountable steel barrier.

The last glimmer of hope for the remnants of the Central China Expeditionary Army was utterly shattered by the appearance of the 14th Division of the North China Area Army. The breakout plan had failed before it even officially began.

News of the 14th Division's involvement in the Nanjing campaign quickly reached the Army General Staff in Kyoto through various channels.

This news was like pouring cold water into an already boiling pot of oil, causing a huge uproar.

Inside the General Staff Headquarters, the officials, who were already overwhelmed by the infighting between the Central China Expeditionary Army and the Kwantung Army, were now plunged into utter chaos and despair.

"Baka! What is Terauchi Hisaichi trying to do?! Without orders from headquarters, he has arbitrarily mobilized a division to intervene in the war in Central China! This is blatant disobedience to military orders! This is rebellion!" A radical staff officer trembled with anger and roared.

"Calm down! General Terauchi's report says it's 'at the request of friendly forces, to assist in stabilizing the situation'..." Another more cautious official tried to explain, but his voice was weak.

"What utter nonsense about assistance! They're clearly just jumping in to grab credit and territory because they see the Central China Expeditionary Army is failing! The Kwantung Army, the North China Area Army... do they even care about the Imperial General Headquarters? Do they even care about His Majesty the Emperor?!" Another person slammed their fist on the table and stood up.

The sounds of arguing, sighing, and angry roars filled the air.

The open intervention of the North China Area Army signifies that the two major factions at the highest level within the Japanese Army, the Kwantung Army and the North China Area Army, have seemingly reached a tacit understanding to join forces to completely crush the "disobedient" Central China Expeditionary Army and divide its sphere of influence and war resources in Central China.

The headquarters, the nominal supreme command organization, has lost all its authority and has been reduced to a mere bystander, or even a joke.

Any attempt to mediate appears pale and powerless in the face of enormous practical interests and the two sides already bloodthirsty.

Sending a special envoy? They might not even get to the front lines.

Issuing orders? They'll be treated like worthless paper.

Requesting a "divine decision"? The Emperor's attitude is ambiguous and difficult to understand, and it's a distant solution that can't address the immediate problem.

The generals at headquarters could only watch helplessly as the empire's elite army divisions engaged in an unprecedented and ugly infighting around the capital of China.

This "doomsday carnival" entered a more brutal and uncontrollable final stage due to the southward advance of the North China Front Army.

Nanjing, this ancient capital with a history of thousands of years, has become an altar for the power struggle within the Imperial Japanese Army, and the entry of the North China Area Army is like tolling the heaviest death knell for this bloody feast.