bookrandom Chapter 800 Is there any evidence?
Chapter 800 Is there any evidence?
Iizawa Mamoru took a step closer and whispered, "Commander, I'm afraid this isn't Hasegawa Kiyoshi's personal decision. The Navy will launch an attack the moment the 48-hour deadline is up. There's no point in running away."
Matsui Iwane suddenly fell silent, his expression becoming complicated.
The military police... give them a satisfactory result within 48 hours, otherwise they will bear the consequences.
Now the deadline has come, and he still hasn't given a response, and hasn't even contacted the military police once. . . .
But I'm a general! The commander of a front! Do I really have to bow my head and apologize and beg for mercy?!
"The military police are taking revenge..." Matsui Iwane muttered to himself, finally understanding the true meaning of this "48-hour ultimatum".
Mamoru Iizawa added worriedly, “Commander, it’s no use looking for the Third Fleet.
We should contact the Military Police Headquarters immediately, apologize to them and explain the situation, otherwise the Navy may take more extreme coercive measures at the instruction of the Military Police, and the Navy will be very happy to do so, and even the headquarters will be unable to do anything about them!
With the suppression of the House of Peers in the country, even if the Third Fleet goes too far, nothing will happen to Hasegawa Kiyoshi.
On the contrary, if the war in Shanghai goes unfavorably due to the intervention of the navy, we will definitely be sent to a military court!
I think this is what the military police are planning. If we don't give them a satisfactory explanation, they will let the navy continue to hinder us!"
Matsui Iwane sat down dejectedly, covering his face with his hands.
As a front commander, he had never felt so powerless.
Relying on the power of the military police, the navy could openly bombard the army without punishment.
That's right. The navy and the army had never gotten along. Matsui Iwane could even imagine the hateful faces of those bastards in the Navy Ministry when the news of the Third Fleet's indiscriminate firepower coverage was reported back to the country. They would definitely celebrate with great enthusiasm, and the celebration party would probably last for three days and three nights.
After a long pause, he raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. "Prepare the car. I'm going to go find Shunsuke Nakamura myself. At the same time, order all troops to suspend offensive operations and focus on rescuing the wounded and calculating the losses."
"But Commander, this will give the Chinese army a chance to catch their breath..." Iizawa Mamoru said with a bitter face.
"Follow orders!" Matsui Iwane roared, "Before we resolve the issue of the military police, continuing the attack will only lead to more imperial soldiers dying in vain!
The Tenth Army is landing. They will block the retreat of the Chinese army in Shanghai. A short delay here won't have much impact...
. . . . . . . .
Calm gradually returned to the front line, with only sporadic small-scale explosions and the crackling sound of burning buildings.
Li Weizhuo cautiously stuck his head out and was shocked by the scene before him.
The already devastated battlefield has now turned into a real hell on earth.
Huge bomb craters were everywhere, some several meters deep, seeping dark red water. Charred bodies were scattered everywhere, many of them incomplete.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, blood, and a horrible odor of burning flesh. In the distance came the groans and cries for help of the wounded, in both Chinese and Japanese.
"Is anyone still alive?!" Li Weizhou ordered, his voice hoarse from inhaling smoke and dust.
Only four of the five soldiers were still able to move, and the other two were injured by the explosion. They carefully walked out of the bunker and began to search for survivors.
In front of the position, they discovered the miserable state of a group of Japanese soldiers.
About a squad of Japanese troops failed to retreat in time and were directly hit by mortar shells.
The body was torn into pieces, with internal organs and limbs scattered within a radius of dozens of meters.
A Japanese soldier was blown in half, his upper body was still twitching slightly, and blood foam was coming out of his mouth.
When Xiao Chen saw this scene, he couldn't help vomiting.
"Company commander, there's a living person here!" a soldier shouted.
He was a young Japanese soldier, his thigh torn by shrapnel and blood gushing out.
Seeing the Chinese soldiers approaching, he tried to raise his rifle in fear, but was unable to move due to excessive blood loss.
Li Weizhou signaled the soldiers to lay down their weapons: "Don't waste bullets, he's dying."
The Japanese soldier on the ground hadn't even raised his gun when it fell heavily to the ground again. Blood kept coming out of his mouth, and after a few convulsions, his eyes gradually became dull.
Li Weizhou didn't stop, but just kept walking forward.
On the banks of Suzhou Creek, the scene was even more miserable.
Many civilians trying to cross the river were hit by artillery fire, and their bodies floated on the surface of the river. A small boat was hit directly, leaving only a few planks floating on the water, surrounded by luggage and toys.
Li Weizhou saw a little girl crying while hugging a female corpse tightly. It was obviously her mother.
He went forward to try to help, but the little girl backed away in fear and eventually jumped into the river.
The soldiers were unable to rescue her in time and could only watch her being swallowed by the river.
"These beasts!" A soldier pounded the ground angrily, tears mixed with mud flowing down his face.
Li Weizhou silently looked at the land stained with blood, his heart filled with endless sadness.
In this war, it is always the civilians who suffer the most.
. . . . . .
Matsui Iwane's convoy drove into the location of the 101st Division.
Shunsuke Nakamura had been waiting for a long time, with a half-smile on his face.
"Commander Matsui, I'm sorry for not welcoming you in person." Nakamura Shunsuke was polite in his words, but his body only leaned forward slightly, showing no respect at all.
Matsui Iwane suppressed his anger and got straight to the point: "Chief of Staff Nakamura, the navy's actions have gone beyond reasonable limits.
They knew that there were a large number of Imperial Army troops on the front line, but they still carried out indiscriminate artillery bombardment, causing heavy casualties.
This is a serious damage to the Empire's military strength!"
Nakamura Shunsuke slowly invited Matsui to take a seat and handed him a cup of tea: "Commander, I don't need to explain the cause of this matter.
You promised to give us an explanation within 48 hours. Now that the deadline has passed, are you here to give us an explanation, or are you here to specifically accuse us?"
Matsui Iwane took a deep breath. "I've already investigated thoroughly. My guard squadron never left that night! This is a frame-up! It was instigated by the Chinese!"
"Is there any evidence?" asked Shunsuke Nakamura with a raised eyebrow.
"There is no direct evidence at the moment, but similarly, you have no evidence to prove that my people did it!" Matsui Iwane raised his voice.
Nakamura Shunsuke shook his head: "Commander, we have evidence, and that uniform is enough to explain a lot.
If you don’t have solid evidence to prove your innocence, then as a rule…”
"Is it the customary practice that you allow the navy to bombard the army at will without punishment?" Matsui Iwane was furious.