Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Chapter 783 See for yourself

The bombing went on for several rounds, and the Japanese front-line troops completely collapsed.

Burning vehicles, broken weapons and mutilated bodies were everywhere.

Wailing, cries for help, and curses mixed together:

"Navy idiots! You will die!"

"Help! Don't come over here!"

"The Ministry of War will not let you go!"

Several Japanese medical soldiers who tried to rescue their comrades were strafed by machine guns from a low-flying bomber ship and all fell in a pool of blood.

The naval pilots on the plane even made celebratory gestures towards the ground.

On the south bank of the Suzhou River, foreign observers and journalists in the concession were stunned by this sudden turn of events.

George Adams, a reporter for the British Times, flashed his camera: "Unbelievable! The Japanese navy is attacking its own army! This is the most ridiculous scene!"

U.S. Naval Attaché Captain James Richardson quickly noted: "Confirmed to be Japanese Navy 203mm naval guns and carrier-based bombers. Clearly an internal conflict between the Army and Navy."

French military observer Pierre Dupont shook his head and sighed: "These Japanese are really crazy! They even attack their own people!"

But soon, foreigners' shock turned to concern.

The shock waves generated by the heavy artillery bombardment caused the buildings in the concession to shake violently, shattered the glass of many houses, and even cracks appeared in some old buildings.

What is even more worrying is that some naval gun shells landed too close to the concession, and the water columns they stirred up splashed onto the Bund embankment.

When chasing the fleeing Japanese troops, the bombers would occasionally fly over the concession, causing panic among the citizens.

"The concession is not safe if this continues!" William Keswick, general manager of the Shanghai Municipal Council, said anxiously: "We must take immediate action!"

The consuls of various countries held an emergency meeting and, after intense discussions, finally reached a consensus, demanding that the defenders of the Sihang Warehouse withdraw immediately to prevent the war from further spreading to the concession.

British Consul Cadogan went to the Huaxia Military Liaison Office on behalf of all countries and made a formal request: "In view of the fact that the current war situation has endangered the security of the concession, all countries unanimously demand that your garrison troops immediately evacuate the Sihang Warehouse.

We will ensure the safe passage of the garrison troops through the concession."

The news quickly spread to the Sihang Warehouse.

Xie Jinyuan had a complicated expression when he received the order.

"Comrade-in-Chief, what should we do?" Yang Ruifu asked.

Xie Jinyuan looked at the devastated battlefield, then at the wounded officers and soldiers, and sighed: "We have completed our blocking mission. Holding on will only increase casualties. Prepare to retreat."

He paused, then said firmly: "But retreat is not surrender! We want to let the world know that Chinese soldiers can leave the battlefield standing, not kneeling for their lives!"

The defenders of Sihang Warehouse began to prepare to retreat.

On the other side of the river, the infighting between the Japanese army and navy continued, providing unexpected cover for the evacuation of this heroic force.

This absurd internal struggle unexpectedly became a turning point in the Battle of Sihang Warehouse, and made everyone realize that the internal contradictions within the Japanese army were so intense that they could kill each other on the battlefield.

This time, because of the navy's betrayal, the Shanghai Expeditionary Force had no time to consider putting pressure on the concession and not allowing the defenders of the Sihang Warehouse to evacuate easily.

Therefore, Xie Jinyuan, who had guarded the Sihang Warehouse for four days, did not lay down his weapons and enter the concession to be guarded as in history, but evacuated through the concession with his weapons.

The Shanghai Expeditionary Force was no longer in the mood to care about these things at this time, because they had just received news that the Commander of the Imperial Military Police in Tianjin of the Empire of Japan had sent a battalion of military police on a naval warship to Shanghai.

This made everyone hold their breath, waiting for further developments.

In the temporary command post on the banks of the Huangpu River, Matsui Iwane and his staff team were in a state of extreme confusion.

The humiliation of being forcibly "asked" to leave the warship by the navy had not yet dissipated, and worse news followed.

"Commander! Urgent battle report!" A signalman rushed into the headquarters breathlessly: "The navy... The navy fleet is bombarding our positions!"

Matsui Iwane raised his head suddenly, his face turning pale in an instant: "What? What did you say? The navy is really shelling our positions?"

Chief of Staff Mamoru Iizawa snatched the telegram, quickly glanced through it, and read out the contents in a trembling voice: "The 19th Infantry Regiment reports that warships of the Third Fleet are conducting indiscriminate shelling of the area around the Sihang Warehouse.

Including... including the base where Yoshida Hayato was attacked, it has been completely destroyed..."

There was a sudden silence in the command center, and all the officers were stunned.

A naval bombardment of an army position? This was practically unheard of in the history of the Imperial Army!

"Confirm immediately!" Matsui Iwane practically shouted, "This must be a misunderstanding! The bombardment coordinates might be wrong!"

But the following report completely shattered their illusions.

Multiple front-line troops sent urgent telegrams at the same time, confirming that naval guns were indeed bombarding the areas controlled by the Japanese army, especially the base where Yoshida was attacked, which had been completely covered by artillery fire.

"They are... they are taking revenge..." a staff officer muttered to himself, fear in his voice.

Chief of Staff Mamoru Iizawa suddenly turned to Matsui Iwane, his eyes filled with doubt and anger: "Commander, please tell me the truth. Did you have anything to do with Yoshida's attack?"

Matsui Iwane stood up suddenly, his face turning from pale to blue: "Iizawa! What do you mean? Even you doubt me?"

"It's not me who doubts you!" Iizawa Mamoru excitedly waved the telegram in his hand: "It's the navy who is expressing their doubts with actual actions!

Hasegawa Kiyoshi didn't hesitate to use naval guns to destroy the entire area. Don't you understand what this means?

He must have received instructions from the Military Police Headquarters' Takuto Takazaki. This is revenge!

Don’t you understand the character of the military police?

How did the garrison headquarters disappear? The military police are a powder keg ready to explode! Don't you know that?

I think this is just the beginning. If the military police retaliate, they won’t just let the navy bombard me once and then stop!!!"

At this moment, another signalman rushed in with a top-priority telegram in his hand: "Urgent message from headquarters!"

Matsui Iwane almost snatched the telegram, and after quickly reading it, he was struck by lightning. He staggered back two steps and fell into the chair.

"Commander?" Mamoru Iizawa asked worriedly.

Matsui Iwane handed the telegram to the chief of staff weakly, his voice hoarse: "Read it yourself..."

Mamoru Iizawa took the telegram, his face growing paler the more he read it. "Oh my God... The Tianjin Military Police Headquarters will be dispatching a battalion of military police, led by Lieutenant Colonel Shunsuke Nakamura, Chief of Staff, to Shanghai soon to investigate the attack on Yoshida Hayato... And the Imperial Headquarters has already approved this investigation..."

The headquarters erupted in an uproar: "A battalion of military police? That's over a thousand!"

“Is this a full investigation into us?”

"Don't tell me that the headquarters doesn't trust us?"

Matsui Iwane held the telegram in trembling hands, muttering to himself: "Takazaki Takuto... you actually have such power... even the headquarters..."