Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

The Japanese military leadership showed indecisiveness in the face of a major crisis, pushing the decision-making power to the Emperor.

The implementation of the resolution is equally worrying.

Although the military sent a special envoy to Nanjing, it would take time for him to reach China.

By the time the special envoy arrived at the front, Matsui Iwane had likely already been forced to surrender, and the Central China Expeditionary Army had been disintegrated.

The more far-reaching impact was that this incident exacerbated factional divisions within the Japanese Army.

By supporting Takasaki Takuto, the Kwantung Army and the North China Area Army greatly enhanced their influence in the occupied territories of China.

The authority of the military central command was severely weakened.

Whether Prince Kan'in Kotohito's demands to "learn from the lessons" and "reorganize discipline" can ultimately be achieved remains to be seen.

As Hata Shunroku was leaving the meeting room, he whispered to Muto Akira beside him, "We made no choice today, but history will eventually force us to face all of this."

Looking out the window at the gloomy sky over Kyoto, Muto Akira replied softly, "Perhaps the real storm has only just begun."

On January 27, Nanjing was shrouded in the cold winter, a city ravaged by war.

Deep underground at the Jinling Arsenal, in the last command center of the Central China Expeditionary Army, under the dim light, Matsui Iwane's eyes were unfocused, and his lieutenant general uniform was covered in stains.

Outside the bunker, the sound of artillery fire grew louder as it approached, like the footsteps of death, constantly pounding on everyone's nerves.

"Commander, the 114th Division has called to say they only have enough ammunition for less than six hours," Major Yoshio Nakamura, operations staff officer, reported cautiously, his voice trembling slightly with fear.

Matsui Iwane did not react.

At around 4 a.m. on January 28, a burst of intense gunfire suddenly rang out from the position north of the arsenal, followed by an eerie silence.

An hour later, the communications soldier received intermittent reports from the forward observation post that the 2nd Battalion of the 38th Regiment of the 16th Division, which was guarding the front line, had surrendered to the 4th Division on the opposite side, led by Major Masao Kobayashi, the battalion commander.

The surrender process was filled with ironic "tacit understanding".

As early as late on the 27th, the soldiers of Kobayashi's battalion made contact with the soldiers of the 4th Division on the other side by shouting.

On one side were hungry Kyoto soldiers, and on the other were shrewd Osaka merchant soldiers; they quickly reached a shady deal.

“How about we give you twenty bags of rice and five boxes of canned goods?” a company commander from the 4th Division shouted in the night.

"Add five more boxes of medicine, and we'll consider laying down our weapons 'respectably' before dawn," Major Kobayashi's adjutant bargained.

This absurd "negotiation" lasted for a full two hours.

Finally, after receiving promises of food, medical care, and guarantees of personal safety, Major Kobayashi ordered a halt to resistance before dawn on the 28th.

At 4:30 a.m., as agreed, they neatly piled up their weapons in front of the enemy lines, and the soldiers, carrying flags made of white cloth, marched toward the enemy's position.

Even more dramatically, an "inspection" process took place during the surrender.

Soldiers from the 4th Division carefully inspected the condition of the captured machine guns before delivering the promised food and medicine.

Some of the surrendered soldiers were even given hot rice balls on the spot, and their ravenous eating was heartbreaking.

"We're all soldiers of the Empire, why kill each other?" A veteran of the 4th Division looked at the disheveled surrenderers, shook his head and sighed, "Wouldn't it be better to eat your fill, live well, and go home?"

When the news reached the underground bunker, Matsui Iwane abruptly raised his head, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes before dimming again. His lips trembled, and he finally managed to utter only two words: "Disgrace!"

The surrender of Kobayashi's brigade was like toppling the first domino.

Around 2 p.m. on the 28th, an even more shocking event occurred.

The remnants of the 36th Regiment of the 9th Division, about 300 men, stationed on the east side of the arsenal, openly marched out of their positions under the command of Colonel Imamura Hitoshi, the regimental commander.

It was drizzling at the time, and the soldiers were ragged, many of them wounded, and they were helping each other.

They carried flags made from white shirts on rifles, their steps faltering but resolute as they marched toward the enemy lines.

Colonel Imamura walked at the head of the column, holding not a military sword, but a huge white flag.

"Stop firing! We surrender! We don't want to fight our compatriots anymore!" the soldiers shouted in unison in hoarse voices, their voices echoing through the ruins.

Surprisingly, the Kwantung Army troops on the other side did not open fire immediately.

Instead, they sent an officer to make contact.

After a brief conversation, the Kwantung Army soldiers even provided these surrendered soldiers with hot soup and medicine.

The medics quickly bandaged the wounded, and the scene was unexpectedly "harmonious."

"We are all Japanese, why are we killing each other on Chinese soil?" A surrendering lieutenant choked out to the Kwantung Army officer who received them, "We want to go home..."

This scene was witnessed by many soldiers of the Central China Expeditionary Army who were still resisting.

The news spread like wildfire across all positions, greatly shaking the morale of the troops.

Even more fatally, the Kwantung Army deliberately broadcast the scenes of these surrendered soldiers being treated well to the Central China Expeditionary Army positions through loudspeakers.

"See! Surrender and you'll live! You'll have hot food and a doctor to treat your wounds! Why die for Matsui Iwane?"

Inside the underground bunker, as Chief of Staff Major General Iinuma Mori frantically reported the news, Matsui Iwane suddenly sprang to his feet, slamming his fist on the table: "Traitors! They're all traitors! They've betrayed His Majesty the Emperor!"

But after the roar came an even longer silence.

He understood that morale had completely collapsed.

The most devastating blow came late on the 28th.

As Matsui Iwane tossed and turned on his makeshift cot, his six bodyguards quietly slipped away under the cover of night.

They took some weapons and rations, leaving behind a plainly worded note:

"Your Excellency General:"

Please forgive us for leaving without saying goodbye. We have elderly parents and wives and children waiting for us back home. We do not want to needlessly die in this meaningless infighting.

Please take care of yourself too.

Original guard squad: Ono, Yamada, Sato, Itoh, Takahashi, Nakata, Respectfully yours.

The note was found pinned to a wooden table by a military dagger while the guards were on duty.

When the officer on duty nervously presented the note to Matsui Iwane, he was stunned at first, then let out a chilling laugh, a laugh tinged with sobs.

"Even you betrayed me... even you..." he muttered to himself, his hands trembling violently.

These guards were all elite soldiers personally selected by him, who had followed him through many battles, but now they had abandoned him at the most critical moment.

This incident caused great panic inside the bunker.

If even the commander's personal bodyguards choose to flee, what hope is there for this battle?

The staff officers exchanged complicated glances, and some began to quietly destroy documents and pack their bags.

As the wave of surrenders spread, the defensive system of the Central China Expeditionary Army collapsed at an alarming rate.