This story is interpreted as a myth or urban legend, since there are no official sources that would allow it to be considered true. Nevertheless, there are many classified things related to the military history of China, so in this case it is difficult to say for sure that this is a fake.
It was December 1937, China and Japan were at war that had been raging for six months. Soon the Japanese army will burst into the city of Nanjing and what is called the "Nanking Massacre" will happen and is rightfully considered one of the most terrible pogroms in military history.
But not long before that, something happened that in turn is considered one of the strangest and most mysterious mass disappearances.
South of Nanjing, Colonel Li Fu Xien of the Chinese army was preparing for the last defensive maneuvers and sent for 3,000 reinforcements. And reinforcements have arrived.
These soldiers were stationed 32 kilometers along the line and their main purpose was to protect the bridge, an important crossing on the Yangtze River. The soldiers were well equipped, including a large number of heavy artillery, and were mentally prepared to fight to the last man if necessary.
Li Fu Sien carefully examined everything and made a motivating speech, after which he returned to his headquarters in the evening to await the imminent Japanese attack. However, the next morning he was awakened by an assistant who brought strange news. It turns out that it became impossible to contact the reinforcements left on the line of defense.
A detachment was immediately assembled, which went to the place of reinforcements to find out what had happened. When they arrived, they saw defensive positions with ready-made artillery and other weapons. And not a single person anywhere.
Is it a Japanese attack? But no, nowhere are there any signs of a struggle. There is no blood either. Nothing. People just disappeared. Maybe they got scared and deserted? The detachment went to the bridge and there they found the sentries. According to them, not a single person crossed the bridge overnight.
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The missing 3 thousand people were never found. And soon the Japanese army burst into the city and brutally killed up to 300 thousand civilians there.
In 1945, after Japan's surrender, the Chinese had a chance to find out what happened to the missing soldiers. Despite the fact that Japan tried to destroy all military documents concerning the Nanjing massacre, the Chinese managed to find something. Alas, in these records nothing was said about the soldiers standing by the bridge.
The bank of the river near the bridge, strewn with the bodies of the Chinese who were shot by the Japanese army.