Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Chapter 786 The situation is not optimistic

A convoy of military police wound its way along the dirt road leading to the 101st Division's headquarters, raising clouds of dust that formed a dim curtain in the sunlight.

This armored formation, with mixed equipment but orderly arrangement, demonstrated a special mechanized combat form during the war under the intentional guidance of Zhou Zhengqing.

Leading the charge were four Type 97 sidecar motorcycles, each equipped with a clear military police logo.

The machine gunners in the sidecars operated their machine guns, with the 7.7mm muzzles pointed vigilantly in all directions.

The motorcyclist wore goggles and a white sweat towel around his neck, maintaining a steady speed on the bumpy road.

These lightweight reconnaissance vehicles lead the way like tentacles, ready to respond to emergencies at any time.

The convoy was guarded on both wings by four German Panzer II tanks. These European tanks stood out on the East Asian battlefield.

Its 20mm KwK30 main gun rotates slowly in the turret, and the coaxial 7.92mm MG34 machine gun is on standby at any time.

The tank crew looked around through the open hatches, their leather helmets and German-style equipment contrasting sharply with the standard Japanese equipment.

The 30mm frontal armor of these tanks was considered strong at the time of the Battle of Shanghai, but their relatively weak side armor still kept the crew on high alert.

Cooperating with the German tanks were eight Japanese Type 93 armored vehicles. These square-headed armored vehicles presented a typical Japanese design style.

The multiple machine guns equipped on each vehicle form a dense firepower network. The 7.7mm Type 91 machine gun on the rotating turret can fire 360 ​​degrees. There is a 6.5mm Type 91 light machine gun on each side of the vehicle body. The firing fields of these machine guns overlap with each other, forming a firepower coverage with no blind spots.

The armored vehicle's 6mm rolled steel plate armor, while thin, is sufficient to protect against small arms fire.

The driver drove carefully through the narrow observation window, while the commander stood in the turret and observed the surrounding terrain with a telescope.

In the center of the convoy are more than a dozen Type 91 trucks, which are mainly used to transport heavy equipment and ammunition.

Each truck was loaded with weapon boxes and ammunition boxes, each clearly marked in Japanese with words such as "Type 38 rifle ammunition", "Type 92 heavy machine gun ammunition", and "Type 41 mountain artillery ammunition".

There was only one squadron of about 400 military police riding on trucks. Most of them were technical soldiers or command personnel, responsible for guarding these important supplies.

On both sides of the truck column, two squadrons of military police, about 800 people, marched on foot in combat formation.

The infantry were divided into two columns, marching close to the sides of the truck team and maintaining high vigilance.

A Type 38 rifle was slung across his shoulder, the leather ammunition box at his waist was filled with 6.5mm Yusaka rifle bullets, a rolled-up blanket and a gas mask were carried on his back, and his face under the helmet was covered in sweat and dust.

The infantry troops advanced in a column formation, with the light machine gun team on the outermost side. The shooter carried a Type 96 light machine gun, and the assistant shooter carried a spare barrel and ammunition.

In the middle were riflemen, each with a bayonet fixed. The shiny 1930s-style bayonets gleamed coldly in the sun.

On the inside is the grenade launcher team, and the soldiers are carrying Type 89 grenade launchers and special grenades.

The military police sergeants and sergeants walked in the team with sabers in hand, observing the surrounding terrain with binoculars from time to time.

The entire convoy maintained a strict tactical formation, with tanks and armored vehicles forming a mobile armored barrier on the outermost perimeter, truck teams providing fire support in the middle, and infantry forming two mobile protective walls.

The convoy moved at a speed of 5 kilometers per hour, which allowed the infantry soldiers to keep up while maintaining the integrity of the overall formation.

The most eye-catching thing is the several Japanese standard mountain cannons towed behind the truck.

Four of them are Type 41 75mm mountain guns. Although this type of gun, which was finalized in 1908, is old, its weight of 540 kg and range of 6300 meters are still practical.

The other two are the newer Type 94 75mm mountain guns, which weigh only 536 kg but have an amazing range of 8300 meters. Their splay-type gun mount and hydraulic muzzle brake demonstrate a more advanced design concept.

Each gun was pulled by six pack horses, but during mechanized marches they were towed by trucks.

There were also several Type 92 infantry guns loaded on trucks. Because they were relatively light, they were directly lifted onto the trucks by the military police for transportation.

The metallic friction sound of tracks rolling on the road, the roar of engines, and the orderly footsteps of soldiers intertwined together, forming a suffocating symphony of war.

The black smoke from the diesel engines mixed with the dust raised by thousands of marching people, forming a turbid cloud above the convoy.

"Keep alert! Watch out to both sides!" The officers' orders spread through the team.

The foot soldiers pointed their rifle muzzles outwards, their fingers on the trigger guards, ready to fire at any time.

Every soldier had his helmet pulled down low, sweat dripping down his cheeks, but no one reached out to wipe it off. Everyone maintained a high state of combat readiness.

After all, they were in a war zone. Although it was considered the rear, no one could tell whether they would be attacked or not. So these military police, who were the first to go to the battlefield in the true sense, still seemed a little nervous and overly cautious.

The villages along the way were dead silent; the local people had already taken shelter. Only startled crows were circling and wailing in the sky.

Occasionally, traces of previous battles can be seen, including the remains of burned houses, abandoned farm tools, and even the carcasses of livestock that had not been buried in time.

As the convoy passes, machine gunners on tanks and armored vehicles will be particularly alert to places where snipers may be hiding.

In this team, the short-barreled 20mm main gun of the German Panzer II tank rotated slowly from time to time, and the gunner scanned the suspicious area through the TZF4 telescopic sight.

The Japanese Type 93 armored vehicle relies on its multiple machine guns to form a dense firepower network.

This tactical configuration of mixed equipment not only took advantage of the anti-armor capabilities of German tanks, but also played the advantages of Japanese armored vehicles in anti-infantry firepower.

As the convoy gradually approached the 101st Division's headquarters, the flag bearer on the lead motorcycle began to wave signal flags, and the speed of the entire convoy gradually slowed down.

The tanks and armored vehicles pulled back their defenses, the machine gunners' fingers left the triggers, and the military police on foot breathed a sigh of relief.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

When they arrived at the 101st Division's headquarters, Division Commander Masayoshi Ito was already waiting with his men.

He looked haggard and had bags under his eyes, and it was obvious that he had been under a lot of pressure in recent days.

"Chief of Staff Nakamura, everyone, welcome." Ito Masaki's voice was tired. "Chief of Staff Yoshida is in the medical tent. Please follow me."

The medical tent was filled with the smell of disinfectant and blood.

Yoshida Hayato was lying on the hospital bed, his face as pale as paper and his breathing weak.

The military doctor reported in a low voice: "He was shot twice, one shot penetrated the abdomen and injured the small intestine, and the other shot grazed the lung and caused pneumothorax.

Although the bullet was removed surgically, the excessive blood loss and infection... the situation is not optimistic."