Chapter 130: Commander Your Excellency, You Wouldn’t Want To Be The Fool, Would You?
Shanghai, Mai Gen Road Train Station.
July in Shanghai was like a red-hot iron block just clamped out of the furnace, stiflingly hot and suffocating.
The air was stagnant and heavy, with the intense rust smell rising from the railway tracks in the middle of Mai Gen Road Train Station.
A faint rotten sweet and fishy smell emanated from the platform.
That was the stench of wounds festering in the sweltering heat.
The rotten smell, thread by thread, drilled into the nostrils, making one feel nauseous.
The black rain shelter cast a large shadow, with countless shards of broken glass scattered on the station platform, reflecting dazzling splintered light under the scorching midday sun.
A long line of boxcars lay quietly crouched on the main track.
The deep green paint on the cars looked greasy and dull in the high heat, with the white lettering “Seventh Fleet Special Supply Transport” on the side mottled and blurred, like crawling slugs.
Navy Lieutenant Colonel Shirakawa Hideki stood quietly in the shadow near the locomotive.
His crisp white summer officer uniform was impeccable, with golden anchor-shaped cufflinks gleaming brightly.
His right hand rested lightly on the hilt of the Type 94 military saber at his waist, fingertips tapping faintly on the hilt wrapped in cold sharkskin.
His cold, hard gaze, like rivets on the railway track, swept over the group of ragged soldiers a few steps ahead, reeking of sweat and blood.
Behind him, the Marine Corps members wore uniform sailor uniforms and steel helmets, forming a silent blue wall in the shadow of the boxcar.
Over a dozen Type 38 rifles, two Type 92 heavy machine guns, with muzzles pressed low, aimed straight ahead.
“Captain Yoshino,” Shirakawa’s voice was not loud but very firm: “An order is an order.”
“The materials in these three cars are special transport items personally approved by Commander Yamaki of the fleet headquarters.”
“Without the hand order of the fleet commander-in-chief, not a single sulfonamide can be touched.”
Standing opposite him was Army 106th Division Captain Yoshino Masao,
His uniform was covered in mud and dark brown stains, his left arm slung in a dirty bandage, his face smeared with sweat and grime.
Behind him were dozens more soldiers who could barely stand, while even more lay on dirty straw mats hastily laid out under the rain shelter, their pained groans and suppressed coughs rising and falling, merging into a despairing low hum.
Wounds emitted an even stronger rotten stench in the high heat; several soldiers braced their rifles, muzzles also pointed at the navy opposite, fingers tightly on the triggers, trembling slightly—not from fear, but from uncontrollable anger.
“Special transport?” Yoshino’s voice was hoarse and cracked, like sandpaper rubbing raw iron. “Lieutenant Colonel Shirakawa! Look at my men!”
He abruptly turned sideways, his arm shaking violently with agitation, pointing to the hellish scene behind him,
“Isn’t the blood they shed in Jiujiang enough?”
“Their wounds are rotting! Maggots are breeding! High fever is making them delirious! Sulfonamide! We need sulfonamide to save lives!”
“Yoshimura-kun, Yoshimura-kun, what’s wrong with you?” Just as the two confronted each other, a young soldier lying on a straw mat behind Yoshino suddenly convulsed violently, emitting inhuman guttural sounds from his throat, with pus oozing yellow-green from under the bandage.
A nearby bearded veteran futilely tried to cover it with his hand, and filthy blood and pus immediately stained his palm black.
The veteran looked up, his bloodshot eyes glaring fixedly at Shirakawa, the look like a poison-quenched dagger.
The corner of Shirakawa Hideki’s mouth twitched ever so slightly downward, his expression somewhat disdainful, like seeing something unclean.
The fingertips of his snow-white gloves stopped tapping, steadily pressing on the hilt.
“The Army’s difficulties are for the Army Logistics Department to solve; material allocation is under the global consideration of the Military Affairs Bureau.”
“Captain Yoshino, your duty is to restrain your subordinates, not to incite mutiny here and assault friendly transportation lines!”
As his words fell, he paused, then arrogantly lifted his chin, his gaze passing over Yoshino’s head as if looking at a pile of insignificant obstacles.
“Immediately, take your men and withdraw from the alert line. This is the final warning.”
“Withdraw?” Yoshino seemed to hear the most absurd joke, his cracked lips twisting into a ferocious arc. “Withdraw where? To watch them rot to death one by one in this hellhole?”
He suddenly stepped forward, the broken glass underfoot emitting a piercing crackling sound.
“Click! Click! Click!”
A series of cold, crisp, scalp-numbing metallic impacts suddenly rang out!
The Army soldiers behind Yoshino, those bracing their guns, reflexively yanked back the bolts hard, chambering rounds instantly!
Almost in the same instant, the navy blue wall opposite reacted with lightning speed!
The front-row soldiers instantly lowered their centers of gravity, bayonets on rifle fronts snapping level with a swish, then muzzles suddenly rising with a clatter, steadily aimed at the Army soldiers.
The gunners behind those two Type 92 heavy machine guns fiercely jammed the butts into their shoulders, slightly adjusting muzzles to lock on Yoshino and the crowd behind him.
The air froze instantly, sweat trickling from helmet edges, sliding down the soldiers’ cheeks, dripping onto the platform concrete.
“Give me, give me medicine, give me medicine.” A shrill voice rang out.
The voice came from the wounded soldier area behind Yoshino.
A soldier whose lower body was almost entirely wrapped in dirty bandages suddenly erupted with terrifying strength from somewhere, hands clawing the edge of the straw mat beneath him, dragging his pus-and-blood-oozing stump, crawling madly forward.
Behind him, on the scorching cement ground, he dragged a glaring dark red wet trail, emitting intense bloody and rotten smells.
“Danger, stop him quick!” Yoshino’s eyes nearly split, instinctively wanting to rush over.
However, too late!
The amputee soldier’s movements were unimaginably fast, with a frenzied burst like a dying flash.
“Give me, give me.” His bloodshot eyes, filled only with pure survival instinct, locked straight on the young navy soldier in front.
“Baka!” A sharp rebuke rang out from the navy ranks.
“Bang!”
The gun in the navy soldier’s hand fired…
The bullet, carrying scorching airflow, viciously burrowed into the amputee soldier’s chest!
“Yoshimura-kun.” A cry of alarm from the veteran behind.
“Baka yaro.” Yoshino Masao’s roar was like the wail of a wounded beast.
Instantly, all reason, all restraint, all military regulations and prohibitions were utterly incinerated by the hot blood of his comrade!
He yanked out the Nambu Pistol from his waist, muzzle not pointed at the sky, but straight at the cold face of Shirakawa Hideki opposite!
“Fire!”
With the order, the Army soldiers’ bullets flew toward the opposite side…
Gunfire at Mai Gen Road Train Station tore through the afternoon quiet; the dispatcher on the platform panicked into the control room, calling headquarters for help.
Receiving the distress call, Gendarmerie Headquarters reacted first.
Public Security Brigade Lieutenant Colonel Yamada Yasushi led a company of soldiers to arrive first at Mai Gen Road Train Station.
But the fight came too fast and too sudden.
Moreover, one side was the well-equipped, agile Marine Corps members.
The other was wounded soldiers just withdrawn from the Jiujiang battlefield.
The strength gap between the two sides was obvious at a glance.
By the time Gendarmerie Headquarters personnel arrived at the station, the 106th Division’s wounded soldiers had been subdued by the Marine Corps.
It shouldn’t be called subdued; it was beaten into submission.
Yamada Yasushi looked at the shell casings everywhere and the heavily casualties among the 106th Division officers and men, sweat pouring from his brow.
This incident was huge; as a mere lieutenant colonel, he had no way to handle it.
Especially those Navy Department people, who killed so many yet acted like nothing happened.
Yamada Yasushi didn’t dare provoke them at all; one mishandling, and a second firefight would erupt here immediately.
Navy Logistics Department bastards, escorting materials yet equipped with two machine guns.
Who were they guarding against? Was there anyone in Shanghai vicinity daring to rob the navy’s stuff?
Well, if there was, it must be the Army.
Shortly after Gendarmerie Headquarters personnel arrived at the station, officials up and down the Southern Transportation Department heard of the riot at the train station and also arrived at the scene one after another.
Everyone looked at the chaotic scene, not knowing how to handle it.
No way around it, so they took both sides back to Gendarmerie Headquarters.
Shanghai, HK District, Shanghai Gendarmerie Headquarters.
Ootani Unshichi looked at the report sent by Yamada Yasushi, his head throbbing with pain.
The incident of the Marine Corps supply transport squad clashing with the 106th Division wounded soldiers withdrawn from the Jiujiang battlefield at Mai Gen Road Train Station quickly spread throughout Shanghai.
Central China Expeditionary Army Headquarters issued a joint investigation notice, demanding Gendarmerie Headquarters thoroughly investigate the facts and make a fair judgment.
Judgment? When was it the turn of Gendarmerie Headquarters to judge conflicts between Navy and Army at this level.
Sure enough, just after Central China Expeditionary Army Headquarters’ joint investigation notice arrived, Navy Department’s notice followed right after.
Navy Department Commander Lieutenant General Hasegawa Sei demanded Gendarmerie Headquarters immediately release the Marine Corps Logistics Transportation Department transport squad members detained at Gendarmerie Headquarters.
If dared to obstruct, Navy Department would reasonably and necessarily use certain force.
Reasonable use of force—this held profound implications.
After all, what Navy Department considered reasonable had their own rules; as long as they deemed it so, naval guns from ships docked in Shanghai Vicinity could aim at Gendarmerie Headquarters’ gate.
After all, back then, they dared sail the fleet into Tokyo Bay, cannons aimed at the palace.
A small Gendarmerie Headquarters—they’d hit if they wanted, no need to be polite.
“Yamada-kun, this report of yours…” Ootani Unshichi held Yamada Yasushi’s report like a hot potato.
“Commander Your Excellency, after detailed questioning of both navy and army personnel, we have roughly clarified the facts.”
Yamada Yasushi said gravely: “These soldiers were all wounded in the recent Mazu Mountain battle by Blue Camp 70th Army.”
“Due to the hot weather and insufficient medicine stocks in the troops, they were sent to the rear for treatment.”
“They had just arrived in Shanghai and discovered Navy Department Lieutenant Colonel Shirakawa commanding a transport squad to send medicine to the battlefield.”
“The two sides failed to reach agreement on medicine allocation; a wounded soldier tried to get medicine, resulting in a navy soldier firing accidentally in tension, triggering this tragedy.”
“Based on current questioning, I still think classifying it as manslaughter is more appropriate than intentional assault.”
Manslaughter? Ootani Unshichi’s brows furrowed slightly, the smile on his face tasting extremely bitter.
He could believe this reason, but would Navy and Army believe it?
“Alright, you go down first. Remember to soothe these people’s emotions; make sure they don’t cause any more trouble,” Ootani Unshichi cautioned carefully.
“Hai.” Yamada Yasushi bowed slightly and turned to leave the office.
“What the hell is this? Running into this mess out of nowhere.” Ootani Unshichi looked at the report in hand, looking like he’d lost his father.
The rift between Navy and Army was as deep as the sea.
Don’t think just because it was a lieutenant colonel and a captain—mid-to-low officers—one slip, and it could turn into a massive brawl between the two sides.
Gendarmerie Headquarters’ backing was Army Department, but any decision he made had to consider Navy’s attitude.
Once mishandled, even a tiny issue would be infinitely magnified—that was the real trouble.
Knock knock knock, a knock sounded; Logistics Department Suzuhara Shingo pushed open the door: “Ootani-kun, heard you ran into trouble?”
“Suzuhara-kun, you here to laugh at me?” Ootani Unshichi said irritably.
Suzuhara Shingo laughed heartily: “I’m not here to mock you, but to give you ideas.”
“Suzuhara-kun has a way to solve this dilemma?” Ootani Unshichi immediately perked up.
Suzuhara Shingo smiled: “No great solutions, but plenty of bad ones. Ootani-kun, you’re good at everything except being flexible.”
“Chinese people often say, if the sky falls, a tall one holds it up.”
“Why take this trouble on yourself?”
Ootani Unshichi frowned, puzzled: “What do you mean, Suzuhara-kun?”
Suzuhara Shingo chuckled lightly: “Ootani-kun, the incident happened at the train station, caused by medicine transport.”
“This kind of thing must be handed to the transportation department—they failed to arrange the transport route properly.”
“Just push the case to Southern Transportation Department Minister Oshima, let him worry.”
“These days, finding a capable assistant is hard, but finding a scapegoat patsy is easy.”
“Commander Your Excellency, you don’t want to be that patsy, do you?”
