Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Chapter 1223 Has he been living a life of luxury for too long?

A massive convoy slowly drove out of the back gate of the military police headquarters. The roar of engines broke the silence of the early morning. A dozen trucks lined up one after another, forming a long dragon, and slowly moved forward on the snow-covered streets.

The wheels rolled over the hard, cold streets of Tianjin, crushing the snow with a crunching sound, while simultaneously kicking up clouds of dust and unmelted snow, forming a gray barrier that drifted away in the cold wind.

Along the streets, a few pedestrians hurried by. Upon seeing the menacing convoy of Japanese military police vehicles, they all lowered their heads and made way for them, their steps quickening, their faces showing fear and apprehension. No one dared to look up for more than a second, as if looking at them would bring about their death.

The Japanese expatriates along the way, however, were quite different. They stopped to watch, pointing and whispering, their faces showing pride and arrogance, occasionally letting out cheers, as if this convoy was something they were proud to show off.

Several young Japanese children were running and playing around the convoy, waving their little hands and shouting slogans like "The Imperial Army Military Police will win!" Their eyes were full of innocent fanaticism.

What they didn't know was that the formidable Royal Military Police they admired were actually aiding the enemy.

Meanwhile, the ordinary Chinese people could only hide silently in corners or shops, peeking through cracks in the doors to watch the convoy pass by cautiously, their eyes filled not only with fear, but also with deep humiliation and anger.

The roar of the convoy and the cold gaze of the military police swept across the street like a chilling current, leaving a deathly silence in its wake, with only the roar of the engines and the sound of wheels crunching through the snow, which sounded particularly jarring.

Ogura Daichi sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed over his chest, head resting against the back of the seat, eyes closed, a look of contentment on his face, as if he were going on a picnic rather than a mission to a dangerous war zone.

Xu Zhongyi, inside the truck, was tense and dared not relax for a moment. He could clearly hear the howling of the cold wind outside the truck, feel the slight shaking of the truck as it moved, and even faintly hear the subtle sounds of gunfire clashing under the canvas. Each sound was like a blow to his heart, making him increasingly uneasy.

After leaving Tianjin, the convoy continued its journey along the dirt road south of the Jinpu Railway line.

At this time, North China was engulfed in war and the situation was turbulent. The Jinpu Railway, as an important transportation route, was almost entirely requisitioned by the Japanese North China Area Army to transport soldiers and military supplies. Trains shuttled back and forth day and night, leaving no extra transport capacity for Kokura and his men.

Moreover, while Ogura Daichi and his men were ostensibly carrying out top-secret military operations, they were actually engaged in arms smuggling, secretly transporting weapons leaked from the Kwantung Army to the south to reap huge profits.

No matter how powerful the military police headquarters is, it wouldn't dare to openly mix with the army's supply transport. If it were discovered, it would inevitably cause trouble.

Therefore, they had no choice but to travel by land, heading south along this bumpy dirt road.

This dirt road is rarely maintained, and with the frequent rain and snow in winter, the road surface becomes even more uneven, full of mud pits and gravel of all sizes. Some of the mud pits are so deep that they can reach halfway up a car wheel.

The truck lurched violently as it drove along, like a small boat sailing on the ocean, rocking from side to side and bobbing up and down. The military police inside were thrown about, many turning pale, and some even vomiting.

The canvas fluttered in the wind, and the cold wind seeped into the carriage through the gaps in the canvas, scraping against the soldiers' faces like knives, making them shiver with cold. But no one dared to complain; they could only hold tightly to the carriage walls and silently endure it.

Ogura Daichi, however, seemed completely unconcerned about the bumps and cold. He remained leaning back in his chair, eyes closed, and even hummed a tune from Osaka in a rather cheerful mood.

His voice wasn't pleasant, even a bit hoarse, but he sang with great enthusiasm, the corners of his mouth occasionally turning up slightly in sync with the melody. Clearly, he was in a good mood. He could lead a team on a mission alone, take the opportunity to make personal gain, and show off the power of the military police along the way. He certainly wouldn't miss such a good opportunity.

The convoy traveled along the bumpy dirt road for the entire morning. The cold wind continued to howl, the road surface remained potholed, and the faces of the military police grew increasingly grim. Even Xu Zhongyi, lying in the carriage, was almost unable to hold on any longer, feeling weak and dizzy all over.

Around noon, the convoy gradually slowed down. Ogura Daichi stopped humming a tune, opened his eyes, glanced out the window, and said to the driver in a deep voice, "Stop the car, rest for a while, let everyone have some water and some dry food, and we'll continue in half an hour."

The driver immediately responded and slowly brought the truck to a stop. The other trucks in the convoy also stopped, the roar of their engines gradually fading away, leaving only the howling of the cold wind and the footsteps of the soldiers disembarking on the empty plain.

The soldiers jumped out of the carriages, stretching their stiff bodies, rubbing their hands which were red from the cold, and showing signs of exhaustion on their faces.

Some people took out their water bottles and dried rations and meat, and ate them quickly. The water in the bottles was already quite cold, and the dried rations were too hard to chew, but they still ate very quickly. After all, the journey ahead was still long and fraught with unknown dangers, and they had to maintain their strength.

Ogura Daichi jumped out of the passenger seat, stretched, and loosened his stiff limbs. He then walked over to Kameda and asked in a deep voice, "Kameda, check the vehicle and cargo to see if there are any problems. Also, tell everyone to take a break and not wander off. We'll depart promptly in half an hour and can't delay the trip."

"Yes, sir! I'll go right away!" Kameda responded immediately, turned around and strode towards the convoy, beginning to inspect each vehicle and cargo one by one. He carefully examined each truck and tugged hard on each rope, only moving on to the next vehicle after confirming there were no problems.

The military police were very obedient and did not run around. They just rested next to the truck, eating their dry rations quickly. Occasionally, some of them would whisper to each other, but they kept their voices down, afraid of upsetting Kogura.

Xu Zhongyi slowly climbed down from the carriage. He held onto the carriage floor and stood there for a while before he could barely steady himself. The dizziness subsided a little.

He walked to the roadside, squatted down, scooped up a handful of snow with both hands, and applied it to his pale face. The cold snow instantly sobered him up.

"Haha, Xu Sang, didn't you used to transport goods to Harbin on trucks? Why are you in such a sorry state? Have you been pampered for too long and can't take hardship anymore?"

Ogura Daichi walked over with a kettle of sake and burst into laughter when he saw Xu Zhongyi's disheveled appearance.