Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Meanwhile, Yusuke Ichijo began his "diplomatic" performance.

Accompanied by several war correspondents, he visited a small number of Western journalists and diplomats temporarily stranded in the Nanjing Safety Zone, including reporters from The New York Times and staff from the German Embassy.

Inside a relatively intact church school, Yusuke Ichijo put on a relatively "gentle" face and spoke to a group of foreigners in deliberately practiced, slightly accented English: "Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Imperial Japanese Military Police Headquarters and the Nanjing Military Police, I assure you that order in Nanjing is being restored rapidly."

Some of the unfortunate incidents that occurred previously were due to a temporary loss of control of the command system.

The Imperial Army is here to establish a "new order in East Asia." All illegal acts, regardless of who the perpetrator is, will be punished most severely according to military law.

Please trust in the Empire's resolve and report the true situation here to the world objectively and fairly.

To support his claim, he even arranged a "show" in which a team of military police distributed small amounts of compressed biscuits and medicine to Chinese refugees gathered at the entrance of the safety zone.

Flashbulbs went off as reporters captured the moment.

However, these performances cannot obscure the basic facts.

In the distance, sporadic gunshots could be heard from time to time; they could be the execution of Japanese soldiers who had committed robbery, or the clearing out of resistance fighters.

Reality and performance form a sharp and absurd contrast in this city of death.

The supplies distributed were a drop in the ocean, while just a few streets away, military police were forcing Chinese laborers to clear mountains of corpses at bayonet point.

However, these Chinese refugees forced to work also obtained enough food to survive through their labor... though very little.

This news also spread in secret.

Japanese military police don't rob people; if you're arrested and forced to work, you'll even get rations!

Although many refugees were ashamed to work for the Japanese, some, driven by extreme hunger, cautiously emerged hesitantly from the sewers and the depths of the ruins... lingering near the military police checkpoint, neither approaching nor venturing too far...

The military police, on the other hand, maintained their usual style.

All the manual labor... Take them all away!

. . . . . . .

Although Yusuke Ichijo's military police swiftly seized control of the surface order in Nanjing with ruthless methods, beneath this fragile calm, dark undercurrents still surged.

The military police's area of ​​control was limited.

Their forces can only cover the main streets and key buildings.

Deep within the vast ruins, in the intricate alleyways and the extensive sewer system, sporadic resistance never ceased.

Late at night, occasional sniper shots would be heard, and lone Japanese soldiers or officers would be killed by bullets fired from who-knows-where. By the time the military police patrol arrived, the people had long since disappeared.

As for the military police, because they have experience "working" in enemy-occupied areas, they would never act alone, so they are basically not vulnerable to surprise attacks.

The attackers were unidentified; they could be scattered Chinese soldiers or civilians filled with hatred.

Like ghosts, they waged a desperate and tragic resistance with their lives.

A deeper rift existed within the Japanese army itself.

The soldiers of the Kwantung Army looked down on the North China Area Army for "picking up bargains," while the North China Area Army resented the Kwantung Army for seizing the most spoils of war.

All these "rebel" forces held the disarmed and detained Central China Expeditionary Army soldiers in contempt and suspicion, regarding them as a disgrace to the empire and a potential threat.

These sentiments permeated the military camp, with minor frictions and arguments occurring frequently, only prevented from escalating into large-scale conflicts thanks to the suppression by the military police.

Yusuke Ichijo understood that this internal tension was a powder keg that could explode at any moment.

The centralized rule of the military police also aroused strong dissatisfaction and jealousy among other divisions within the army.

According to the intelligence received by Yusuke, the radio activity at several divisional command posts outside the city was unusually frequent, indicating that they were in urgent communication with their respective superiors to discuss countermeasures.

Night fell once again over Nanjing, and the cold wind howled, sweeping across the ruins like the weeping of countless wronged souls.

The footsteps of the military police patrol echoed through the empty streets, adding to the eeriness and grim atmosphere.

Yusuke Ichijo stood at the window of the command post, gazing at the boundless darkness outside.

Today's iron-fisted approach has only temporarily suppressed the chaos; the real challenge, and the complex interplay of internal and external contradictions, has only just begun.

Reinforcements from Tianjin are about to arrive, but will they bring stronger control or more complex power struggles?

Although the gunfire in Nanjing had subsided, the smell of gunpowder that lingered in the military camps outside the city walls was replaced by a more complex and dangerous emotion: discontent, jealousy, and the restlessness of power.

The atmosphere at the field camp of the 2nd Division of the Kwantung Army outside Qilin Gate was far from the jubilation of victory.

Division Commander Okamura Neiji was a smart man who understood his role as a tool in the hands of Ueda Kenkichi and Takasaki Takuto, a henchman. Therefore, he was able to understand and support the actions of Ichijo Yusuke and other military police.

However, his officers found it difficult to suppress their resentment.

In the tent late at night, under the flickering lantern, several regimental commanders and battalion commanders sat together, venting their frustrations over sake.

"Baka! What is this?" Colonel Riku Oshima, commander of the 4th Infantry Regiment, took a big gulp of wine and slammed the glass down on the ammunition box: "How much blood did we shed at Yuhuatai and Zhonghuamen?"

How many loyal and brave soldiers died? Now, the city has fallen, the credit hasn't even been tallied, and those military police have reaped the benefits! What can they do besides brandishing military law to intimidate people?

Lieutenant Colonel Karasawa from the 16th Regiment snorted coldly, his tone sharp: "Yusuke Ichijo? He's nothing but a dog kept by Takuto Takasaki!"

Now they act all high and mighty, bossing us around and demanding permission to even enter the city? What a ridiculous joke!

Nanjing was captured inch by inch by our Kwantung Army with bayonets and blood!

Colonel Kishida of the 29th Regiment remained relatively calm, but his brow was furrowed: "You two should be careful with your words. Yusuke Ichijo is a nobleman, not someone we can discuss."

Not to mention Lord Takasaki, if anyone hears the two of you slandering the Imperial nobles like this, they'd better watch their lives.

Upon hearing this, Colonel Riku Oshima, commander of the 4th Infantry Regiment, shrank back, glanced cautiously at the direction of the tent flap, and, still unconvinced, spoke in a noticeably softer voice: "That's just how it is. Can't I even grumble a little? But I absolutely did not mean to insult Lord Takasaki or Yusuke Ichijo... I've had a bit too much to drink..."

Lieutenant Colonel Karasawa of the 16th Regiment lowered his voice and said, "The attribution of credit is secondary."

The crucial point is that the city's supplies, warehouses, and the "spoils of war" that hadn't been transported away in time are now all sealed off by the military police.

It is said that troops have already been deployed to guard the arsenal, banks, and major trading companies.

"Are we risking our lives just to benefit others?" His words struck a nerve with everyone, addressing the biggest concern in their hearts: the distribution of profits.