Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

At 2 p.m. sharp, a train of dilapidated military trucks and a convoy of foot soldiers, escorted by a small number of Kwantung Army soldiers, arrived with difficulty.

Those who got off the vehicles and walked out of the ranks were the remaining senior officers of the Central China Expeditionary Army, led by Major General Iinuma Mori, former Chief of Staff of the Central China Expeditionary Army Headquarters, Colonel Uemura Toshimichi, Deputy Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Tani Hisao, Commander of the 6th Division, Lieutenant General Yoshizumi Ryosuke, Commander of the 9th Division, Lieutenant General Ogisu Tatehei, Commander of the 13th Division, Lieutenant General Nakajima Kesago, Commander of the 16th Division, Lieutenant General Ushijima Sadao, Commander of the 18th Division, and Lieutenant General Suematsu Shigeharu, Commander of the 114th Division.

The once-renowned generals of the Imperial Army have now lost all their prestige.

They were forced to remove the gold ornaments that symbolized their rank as generals, take off their gold-trimmed military caps, and remove their sabers that represented command authority.

The once crisp woolen uniforms of the generals were now covered in mud and wrinkles. Many of them had even buttoned their coats crookedly, looking dejected and shifty-eyed, like roosters that had been plucked of their feathers after a defeat.

They were required to stand in a sparse single file, dejectedly on the cold, muddy ground in front of the wooden platform, not even qualified to step onto the simple platform.

Behind them were about two hundred soldiers, cobbled together from the remnants of various divisions of the Central China Expeditionary Army, serving as symbolic "observers."

These soldiers were in even worse shape, dressed in rags, emaciated, and many had untreated wounds with blood seeping through their bandages.

Their eyes were empty, filled with utter bewilderment, deep-seated humiliation, and a trace of animalistic, bewildered relief at having survived.

A cold wind blew, and they shivered. Suppressed coughs and sobs could be heard from time to time in the ranks, a stark contrast to the disciplined military formation opposite them.

In stark contrast to the disheveled state of the defeated army, the "rebel" generals and their troops stood solemnly on the other side of the wooden platform.

Representing them were Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji, commander of the 2nd Division of the Kwantung Army; Lieutenant General Matsui Michiko, commander of the 4th Division; Lieutenant General Sakamoto Seiemon, commander of the 7th Division; Lieutenant General Tsukada Osamu, commander of the 8th Division; Lieutenant General Yamada Otozo, commander of the 12th Division; Lieutenant General Ito Masaki, commander of the 101st Division; and Lieutenant General Kawagishi Bunzaburo, commander of the 14th Division of the North China Area Army. They wore crisp and clean military uniforms, their officer's insignia and medals were polished to a shine, their leather boots were spotless, and their faces carried undisguised arrogance, contempt, and the pleasure of conquerors.

Behind them were carefully selected victory parade formations.

The Kwantung Army soldiers, wearing helmets and holding Type 38 rifles with bayonets fixed, stood as straight as iron.

The soldiers of the North China Front Army were also impeccably dressed and exuded a fierce aura.

These soldiers had sharp eyes, staring straight ahead, filled with the confidence of victors and disdain for the defeated generals.

Tanks and armored vehicles lined up at the rear of the formation, their cannons deeply embedded, further enhancing the deterrent effect of force.

The whole scene didn't resemble a ceremony; it was more like a public humiliation and display of force.

Just before the ceremony was about to begin, the silence was broken by the sudden sound of a car engine.

A black sedan with its windows tightly covered by curtains drove straight to the side and stopped behind the wooden platform, escorted by a small squad of military police on motorcycles.

The car door opened, and two stern-faced military police officers got out first. Then, an elderly man wearing a lieutenant general's uniform, but whose tassels and saber had also been removed, was "invited" out of the car.

This man was none other than Lieutenant General Yanagawa Heisuke, former commander of the Japanese 10th Army!

After the fall of Nanjing, this number two figure in the Central China Expeditionary Army kept his headquarters in a relatively safe area outside the city, attempting to observe the situation.

However, with Matsui Iwane captured and the situation largely settled, the "rebels" clearly had no intention of letting any "big fish" go.

The military police acted swiftly, "inviting" him to this humiliating occasion from their command post outside the city.

Yanagawa Heisuke looked gloomy and faltered.

He tried to maintain a shred of dignity, but the constant "accompaniment" of the military police and the watchful eyes of countless people around him made all his efforts seem futile.

He was taken directly to the wooden platform and placed at the very front of the line of Tani Hisao and the others.

This arrangement was extremely insulting, clearly declaring that the entire high command of the Central China Expeditionary Army had been wiped out without exception.

The appearance of Yanagawa Heisuke caused a subtle commotion and a deeper despair among the defeated troops.

He closed his eyes tightly, as if unwilling to face this cruel reality.

The ceremony began at 2:30 p.m.

The Japanese national anthem, Kimi no Yori, was not played, no flags were raised, and not even an opening remark was made.

The atmosphere was oppressive and suffocating.

Commander Yasuji Okamura of the 2nd Division of the Kwantung Army, as the highest representative of the victorious side, stepped onto the wooden platform with steady steps.

He stood in front of the table, without even sitting down, and took a document directly from his adjutant.

His voice was cold and clear, carrying through the entire venue on the chilly wind:

"By order of the Tianjin Military Police Command and relevant authorities," he began in a condescending tone, "General Matsui Iwane, former commander of the Central China Expeditionary Army, was stubborn and self-willed, incompetent in military management, indulged his troops, and allowed them to become undisciplined. Furthermore, his mismanagement triggered violent internal conflicts, causing significant losses to the Imperial Holy War. His actions are unacceptable to the Imperial Army!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the bowed generals below the stage like a blade, and continued reading: "In view of the above circumstances, in order to quickly restore order in the Central China region and safeguard the interests of the Empire, our unit is ordered to accept the surrender of the remnants of the Central China Expeditionary Army and to maintain all military affairs in the region on their behalf."

Effective immediately, the designation of the Central China Expeditionary Army is hereby revoked, and all personnel and equipment are subject to reorganization and disposal!

This announcement, drafted at the behest of Kenkichi Ueda and Hisaichi Terauchi, placed all the blame on Iwane Matsui, while also subtly implying that Zhou Zhengqing, the military police commander, was the mastermind behind this civil war.

This also gave the "rebels'" actions a legitimate guise of "maintaining order."

Every word was like a slap in the face to every general of the Central China Expeditionary Army in the audience.

After reading the document aloud, Okamura Yasuji placed it on the table.

An aide stepped forward and spread out a thick surrender agreement.

All eyes were on Yanagawa Heisuke and Tani Hisao.

Yanagawa Heisuke trembled all over. At the "signal" of the military police, he took a trembling step forward, then another, and moved with great difficulty to the edge of the wooden platform.

He glanced at the document that would decide their fate, then looked back at his equally desperate colleagues behind him. Finally, with his trembling hand, which could barely hold a pen, he signed his name in the column for the representative of the surrendering party.

The sound of the pen nib slicing across the paper was unusually jarring in the deathly silence.