Republic of China: German-equipped divisions massacred as warlords guarded the nation's borders

Six o'clock in the evening.

Shanghai, Shiliupu Wharf.

The sky was overcast like a dirty lead plate, and a damp, cold north wind was blowing across the Huangpu River. The river water lapped against the stone embankment, making a dull sound.

The dock has been sealed off.

Within the 300-meter cordon, soldiers from Chen Jiajun's guard battalion stood guard every three steps and sentries every five steps. They were fully equipped with German weaponry, including steel helmets, leather boots, and Mauser rifles, with bayonets sheathed but ready to be drawn at any time.

At the entrance to the dock, two SdKfz221 light armored vehicles blocked the passage on the left and right. The MG08 heavy machine guns on top of the armored vehicles were already loaded with ammunition, their muzzles pointing outwards.

Four light machine guns were mounted on the rooftops of warehouses on both sides of the dock. The gunners lay prone behind sandbags, their eyes fixed on every street and alleyway that might be approaching through their scopes.

This doesn't feel like welcoming guests. It feels more like preparing for war.

Shen Li stood beside the iron railings of the dock, holding a security deployment map in his hand, checking each sentry post one by one.

"Sentry post one, position established; sentry post two, position three..."

He looked up at the river in the distance.

The rain hasn't started yet, but the air is already so damp you could wring water out of it.

"The young marshal has arrived."

A report came from the guards behind me.

Shen Li turned around.

A black sedan was parked on the gravel road at the dock. Chen Zijun got out of the back seat, wearing a dark gray wool coat with the collar buttoned up tightly.

He walked straight to the edge of the pier without an umbrella.

"Any news from Laneige?"

"have."

Shen Li followed, lowering his voice. "An hour ago, Su Guiying identified three suspicious Japanese men in a hotel in the Japanese concession of Hongkou. Their identities are still being verified, but Lanzhi said there's an 80% chance they're the second knife."

"Eighty percent is not enough."

"Lan Zhi said she would give you a definite answer before the passenger ship docks."

Chen Zijun nodded and said nothing more.

He walked to the outermost edge of the dock, put his hands in his coat pockets, and looked at the river.

Several cargo ships slowly passed by on the Huangpu River. The sound of their horns became muffled and long in the mist.

In two hours, the passenger ship that departed from Guangzhou will appear on the river.

An elderly man who was ill was sitting on the boat.

This old man spent thirty years trying to awaken this sleeping nation. He overthrew a two-thousand-year-old imperial system, established Asia's largest democratic republic, and then watched helplessly as it was torn to pieces by warlords.

Now, dragging his ailing body north, he wants to make one last effort—to replace guns with dialogue and to save the crumbling Republic of China through negotiation.

But some people didn't want him to leave Shanghai alive.

……

8:15 PM.

The rain finally came.

It wasn't large, but it was dense. The drizzle pierced the river like needles, and the lights on the dock became hazy in the rain.

Chen Zijun stood under the awning at the dock, already smoking his third cigar.

"They're here."

Shen Li held up his binoculars and pointed them downstream on the river.

A white, medium-sized passenger ship was slowly approaching. The flag of the Republic of China was flying at the bow, and the ship's horn sounded three long blasts.

All soldiers on the dock were placed on high alert.

The armored vehicle's engines roared, and the heavy machine gun's muzzle slowly turned as the passenger ship moved. The light machine gunner on the roof released the safety.

The passenger ship has docked.

The dockworkers skillfully secured the mooring ropes to the bollards. The gangway was slowly lowered.

The first to disembark were several attendants dressed in Zhongshan suits. They were visibly taken aback when they saw the commotion at the dock.

Then there were a few guards, armed to the teeth, but compared to the German-equipped soldiers on the dock, they were like local militia meeting a regular army.

Finally, a slender figure appeared at the top of the gangway.

He wore a grey Zhongshan suit with a black woolen overcoat. His hair was gray, his complexion sallow, and his cheekbones prominent. Behind him followed his wife, Ms. Song, who wore a dark-colored cheongsam. Surprisingly, in the cold weather, she gave off a warm feeling at first glance.

But his eyes were very bright.

Under the dim lights of the dock, those eyes looked like two quiet flames.

Sun Yun.

Whether he was the President or the Grand Marshal, this was the Mr. Sun who was revered by the world.

He held onto the railing of the gangway and descended step by step. With each step, he was visibly slightly out of breath. Ms. Song gently supported him from the side.

Chen Zijun stepped forward.

"Mr. Sun, Ms. Song, Shanghai welcomes you."

He gave a slight bow. Neither humble nor arrogant, neither too close nor too distant.

Sun Yun stopped and looked up at him. Ms. Song simply smiled slightly at him.

"You're Chen Zijun?"

"Yes."

Sun Yun glanced up and down at the scene on the dock, then at the heavy machine guns on the two armored vehicles.

"What a grand display."

"It's not about showing off," Chen Zijun said calmly. "It's about saving my life."

Sun Yun paused for a moment, then smiled.

The smile was faint, but genuine.

"You're very straightforward. I like straightforward people."

He coughed twice and patted Chen Zijun on the shoulder.

"Let's go, we can talk about some things once we're in the car."

Chen Zijun nodded and stepped aside to make way.

Sun Yun walked in front, and Chen Zijun walked behind.

Behind them, an attendant in a gray Zhongshan suit followed silently. The man was in his thirties, thin, with a stern face, and his gaze was constantly scanning every detail on the dock—the types of equipment the soldiers were wearing, the deployment positions of the armored vehicles, and the firing arc of the machine guns.

He examined it very carefully, as if he were preparing a detailed assessment report.

Nobody noticed him.

But Moranzhi noticed it.

She stood in the shadow of the awning, her gaze lingering on the attendant for two seconds. Then she looked down and made a note in a small notebook.

……

Inside the black sedan.

The raindrops pattered against the car roof.

Sun Yun leaned back in his seat, holding a cup of hot tea. His hands trembled slightly, but his gaze remained sharp.

"You've been making quite a splash lately."

Chen Zijun sat on the folding seat opposite him.

"Nanjing was left empty, allowing people from Hunan and Fujian to fight to the death there. The Jiangnan Shipyard poured over two million pounds into it. And then there was the steel mill in Ma'anshan..."

He put down his teacup and looked at Chen Zijun.

"You're playing a very big game."

"Mr. Sun, you flatter me," Chen Zijun said. "It's not some grand strategy. It's just about enabling the people of this land to manufacture their own guns, build their own ships, and protect themselves, so they no longer have to depend on foreigners."

Sun Yun remained silent for a moment.

"What you said really resonated with me."

He sighed.

"I led a revolution for thirty years, overthrew the Qing Dynasty, and established the Republic of China. But in the end, China's railways were built by foreigners, China's customs were controlled by foreigners, and China's warships were built by foreigners. We couldn't even control our own destiny."

"So you went north."

"That's why I'm heading north." Sun Yun nodded. "I want to try and see if I can bring all the parties to the negotiating table. Let's stop fighting, sit down, and have a proper talk about the future of this country."

Chen Zijun did not respond.

He knew how great this man's ideals were.

He also knew how much longer the man's body could hold on.

"Mr. Sun, I am fully responsible for your safety during your stay in Shanghai."

Sun Yun glanced at him and smiled slightly.

"Did you know someone wanted to kill me?"

"Know."

"Knowing it, you still dared to accept?"

"It is precisely because we know this that we must accept it."

Outside the car window, the rain was getting heavier.

boom--!

A gunshot ripped through the rainy night.

Chen Zijun's body tensed instantly. He shoved Sun Yun down and drew the pistol from his waist at the same time.

"Young Marshal!"

Shen Li's voice came from outside the car, urgent and sharp.

"An armed commando unit has been spotted southwest of the dock, at the border of the French Concession! Their numbers are unknown, and they are forcibly approaching through the concession!"

Chen Zijun's eyes instantly turned cold.

coming.

The second sword was finally drawn.