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The Mitsubishi large passenger plane, built using the core technology of the captured American B29 bomber, flew from the port of Shuri in the Ryukyu Islands to the Japanese archipelago under the cover of two squadrons of P51 fighters. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

Senior General Tada, the new chief of staff of the Japanese army, sat at the front of the plane cabin facing the window, his eyes fell on the sea of clouds outside, but his mind was constantly thinking.

The Japanese navy also suffered heavy losses this time, and the entire third aircraft carrier task force was buried in the Bohai Sea, and the head of the military command, Nagano Shusei, had to end his trip to inspect shipyards and naval bases in Australia ahead of schedule and return to the island by special plane.

After the disaster, Shuriport was devastated, the airport and the harbor were bombed by mysterious missiles, and the banks of the lake and the Kuniba River were filled with pitch-black ruins and painful wails. Japan's wooden houses are very weak in the face of such blows, and once the fire spreads, it is impossible to stop it.

After inspecting the ruined naval and army bases, the two were very angry, but they were also full of helplessness, after all, anyone who encounters such a missile launched from thousands of kilometers away will have a sense of fear and powerlessness from the bottom of their hearts.

Nagano Shusei knew that the emperor, important ministers and the base camp had a clear understanding of this previous mistake, and the ascension of Tada Jun, who had always been good friends with Ishihara Waner, represented another change in the direction of the empire's operations, so he intended to take the same plane with Tada Jun to learn some inside stories and get closer to the relationship between the two sides by the way, so he let his special plane return to Tokyo empty.

After the plane stabilized, Nagano Shushen took a cup of hot tea, came to sit down opposite Tada Jun, and asked with a sincere face: "Tada-kun, I don't know what your next policy program is?" Is Tojo-kun's plan to aggressively counterattack the mainland still continued? ”

Tada Jun was stunned for a moment, and said to Nagano Xiu without apology:

"I'm sorry, but I was thinking about the situation where Ishihara-kun was telegraphed. Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay and other countries in South America have surrendered under the pressure of the imperial army, Ishihara-kun arrived in Chile's port of Iquique yesterday and is now leading his troops to Bolivia by train, and after getting off the train in La Paz, Ishihara-kun will lead his troops to Santa Cruz on foot. Then take a train to the southwestern border region of Brazil, where it joins up with the forward troops that arrived there ahead of schedule.

"Ishihara-kun said in a telegram that he was confident that he would command the forces of the South American Army, annihilate Brazil within three months, and bring all of South America under the control of the Empire."

Nagano Xiu gestured to the staff officer to bring the map, carefully looked at the itinerary, and asked with some puzzlement: "I don't understand, why doesn't the army go to Argentina, which is more convenient and fast?" If disembarked from a port in the south of Argentina. We can take the whole railway without having to go through the hassle. ”

Tada Jun was sad in his heart for the empire with so many generals who did not understand politics to occupy high positions, but his face was silent:

"Just as Germany needed to keep the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal in Europe as windows for foreign relations, so the Reich needed to retain a neutral state in South America through which trade could be conducted. Gain valuable information at the same time.

"The current Argentine government is completely inclined to Germany and our Japanese Empire, and our clever use of Colombia's rebel forces to occupy this window in South America has a lot to do with Argentina's covert help, and now we naturally want to repay the favor."

Nagano Xiu nodded again and again:

"I see, I see! Brazil now has a population of just over 10 million, and its people are lazy, hedonistic, and undisciplined. With Ishihara-kun's abilities. After the imperial team enters Brazil, it will surely sweep away the leaves with the autumn wind and conquer this country with more than 8 million square kilometers of land in one fell swoop, creating a new situation for the empire. ”

Tada said: "The northern forces of the southern and American forces have successfully captured Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, which is occupied by the forces of the 'Free French Movement', and Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay around Brazil have been forced by the powerful naval and army of the empire to announce their participation in the Axis Alliance. In this case. It should only be a matter of time before the emperor team takes Brazil.

"As the chief of the emperor ** team. The only thing I have in mind right now is the security of the mainland and the land that surrounds the coast of South China. The South China army had the means of long-range attack and was even more of a threat to the empire than the United States. Ishihara-kun suggested that I seize the time to organize immigration to Australia and the Americas, and that the resource-poor archipelago should maintain enough for 10 million people. Ishihara-kun also reminded me that the subjects of the empire had to adapt to the transition from an island nation to a mainland state as soon as possible.

"From last night until now, I've been wondering, is it really easy to give up where we grew up and settle down in a whole new continent? No, I think the archipelago must not be lost, this is our first line of defense against the expansion of South China, it is the foundation of the empire's thousand-year-old reproduction, even if the opponent is strong, the empire's army must rely on the favorable terrain to fight for every inch of land, and let the landing opponent shed blood, through such a battle, to protect the safety of Australia, where His Majesty the Emperor is located. As for the cities on the islands, if they can defend them, they will all move if they can't, and the people will scatter to the countryside, leaving not even a single nail for the opponent! ”

Nagano was shocked, and was amazed by Tada's determination, and after a while, he suddenly came to his senses and asked with some surprise: "So, in the future, the Imperial Army will give up counterattacking the mainland and concentrate on managing the archipelago defense line?" ”

"That's all there is to it!"

Tada Jun explained with a wry smile: "It's not that we don't want to fight, it's just that the population of China is too large, if we are obsessed with invading the East Asian continent, those who have already been armed with China can use the tactics of crowds to fight for our lives!" We can't afford it! Speaking of which, the people of China are of the same kind as us, advocating loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, honesty and honesty, and the current An Jiajun is a first-class strong army, and they are not sure about their imperial ** team, I heard that the Germans were blocked on the Western Front......

"It's really frustrating to think about it, Hitler still told us what kind of 'great victory' they really won, and if they really won the battle, are they still entangled along the border for more than a week? The Germans had amassed nearly eight million troops in West Asia, what was this concept? It's unbelievable that they couldn't break through the defense line of the An Jia Army! I have made up my mind that at least until the situation on the Western Front is clear, our army will not move again! ”

Nagano Xiu perseveredly asked: "What about the Indian Ocean?" Do you want to give up too? ”

Tada Jun asked rhetorically, "If we don't give up, are we sure to hold on?" From the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean, on such a long front, how will our naval forces be distributed? Also, now the Imperial Army is using troops in the Americas. There are no more forces left to hold the Indian Ocean defense line......"

Seeing that Nagano was frowning, Tada Jun patiently explained:

"Due to the loss of India and West Asia, Persia and the Two Rivers region, the core interests of the empire in the Indian Ocean region have been lost, and the islands occupied in the meantime, such as Andaman Nicobar, Ceylon, Socotra, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, etc., have wasted too many troops of the empire, and the empire has spent a lot of money just to replenish war materials, rather than consuming the precious resources of the empire in vain. It is better to shrink the defense, concentrate the forces in Lanyin and the Philippines, and block the offensive line of the South Chinans!

"Nagano-kun, let me tell you a secret, since last year, Ishihara-kun has been mobilizing troops. Two of the three divisions of the 65th Army stationed in Ceylon have been withdrawn to Sumatra, and the seven divisions of the 10th, 21st and 22nd armies and 17 ** infantry brigades stationed in Madagascar, nearly half of which have been withdrawn to the Lanyin Islands and the Philippines, and the field heavy artillery and ** field heavy artillery wings deployed in Madagascar have been withdrawn to strengthen the defense ...... on the east and west coasts of Australia."

"How can the Imperial Navy give up the land that they have worked so hard to build?"

Nagano Shushen said with some annoyance: "Tojo-kun once advised His Majesty the Emperor that if the empire wants to keep the Lanyin Islands and Australia, it must hold the Indian Ocean islands. And as soon as he took office, he ordered to strengthen the defense of the above areas, and our navy also received a request to transport troops and supplies, but I really did not expect that not only did it not strengthen, but it took the initiative to weaken, which ......"

Nagano Xiu shook his head again and again: "I think what Tojo-kun said is very reasonable, now there is no naval force in the Indian Ocean region that can affect the rule of the empire, there is no reason to give up at all!" ”

"Don't forget, Nanhua also has a navy!"

Tada Jun smiled faintly: "Nanhua's naval warship." Mainly from the French expeditionary fleet. Among them even had battle cruisers and old battleships, which shocked the world at the beginning. It is said that the former Siamese Navy was completely wiped out by this fleet. The intelligence services have finally learned that it has been six years since Nanhua had shipyards in various military ports and built warships on a large scale, and before that, they had experience in shipbuilding in Chongqing, Yichang and Nanchang, and had also acquired Jiangnan shipyards after the Battle of Songhu, and we must be vigilant about this.

"The reason why I stayed in the imperial capital for nearly a week was to discuss the next strategy with His Majesty and important ministers, and I noticed the naval power that Nanhua had been withholding for a long time. In the map deduction carried out in the Imperial Garden, the long Indian Ocean route swallowed up a large number of the Empire's transport fleets, and later it became more and more difficult to replenish, and several fleets of the Empire went to support were ambushed by the South China Navy, and finally the Indian Ocean became the Waterloo of the Empire, leading to the collapse of the overall situation.

"As a qualified general, you must be able to seek defeat before you win, and consider many possibilities. At present, the core interests of the empire are in Australia and the Americas, these two regions are rich in resources and relatively developed industries, as long as they are well developed, the national strength of the empire is definitely a thousand miles away, and there is no need to spend huge energy to operate additional defense lines. In the future, the empire will operate Lanyin and the Philippine Islands as the most important theater of war, and set up fortresses and fortresses all over the coastline to resolutely block the eastward advance of the South China army, which is the most correct strategy! ”

Nagano Xiushen sighed: "I always feel that it's a pity to give up like this...... But now that Tada-kun has made up his mind, let's carry it out steadfastly! By the way, what about the Empire's troops stranded in East Africa? ”

Tada said: "According to the agreement reached between the Reich and Germany, the Ninth Army, which was originally composed of two divisions and three ** infantry brigades from Iraq entering Syria to join the German army, continued to fight with the Afrika Korps commanded by Field Marshal Rommel, and strived to completely drive the British and American troops off the mainland as soon as possible......

"When I explained to Your Majesty the concept of my new appointment, I made it clear that no battle plan is immutable, and if the German army can successfully destroy the main force of the South China army on the Western Front and defeat the Anglo-American coalition in Africa, then the defensive pressure in the Indian Ocean region will be reduced exponentially, and we can also obtain supplies from the nearest mainland, so it is understandable to strengthen the defense of the above areas a little at that time."

Nagano finally understands that Tada Jun in front of him, like Ishihara Wanji, is a pragmatist. Make any decision based on whether it is worth it, and never do it at a loss. For the navy, this is good news, otherwise they will be like Hideki Tojo who is blindly reckless, and no amount of money will be enough to squander.

"Emergency!"

Communications staff officer Masao Kanaoka Nakasa came to the two and handed over a telegram.

After reading it, Tada Jun handed it to Nagano Xiu, and after the latter finished reading it, he asked, "What does Nagano-kun think of this matter?" ”

Nagano Shushen looked surprised. Shaking his head again and again: "I can't believe that both the Nationalist Government and the South China Government have rejected the Empire's peace proposal...... It's okay to say that South China has the strength to compete with us, but why is Chiang Kai-shek so tough? Doesn't he understand that if the empire really wants to start a war in China at all costs, he doesn't dare to say how far it can attack the mainland. But at least the coastal areas will become a scorched earth! ”

Tada said: "This is what I expected. Both South China and the Nationalist Government signed the "Declaration of the United Nations," declaring that they would devote all their forces and resources to fight the common enemy and not make peace with any enemy alone, which almost cut off the possibility of peace between China and Japan!

"In addition, the two major battles commanded by Tojo-kun have disgraced the face of the imperial army, and it is estimated that Chiang Kai-shek has seen the battle report handed over by the South China side, and is very unoptimistic about our prospects. That's why there is this strong expression...... In addition, I have heard that Chiang Kai-shek has set up an expeditionary force in Yunnan, and I am afraid that he has ulterior malice towards the empire! ”

Yongye Xiu shook his head again and again, feeling very aggrieved in his heart.

It is probably something that no one expected in advance that China, which was dominated by foreign powers before the war, has now become a key force in shaping the international situation, and it is the nightmare existence of the empire that has led to all this.

While we were talking, the plane had already flown to the island of Kyushu. Slowly descend in height.

When passing over the Sasebo Military Port. Tada asked to descend again and circle the harbor a few more times in the air. so that he could see the situation in the worst-hit ports in this report.

Looking down from the air, the situation in the military port and nearby cities made Tada Jun and Nagano Shushen gasp.

Sasebo is the logistics base for Japan's attacks on China and the Korean Army, since the First Sino-Japanese War, millions of soldiers have boarded ships from here to go to the Chinese battlefield and the Nanyang battlefield, the two naval and army generals are very familiar with this port, the dock by the sea, the tavern on the street, the woman waving the sun flag, the beautiful girl in a bright kimono throwing flowers, and the huge chimney of the shipyard, which is very memorable.

However, now the port, the city, and the mountains near and far have almost all turned to ashes, and although a week has passed, some places are still smoking, and the existence of the wharf is almost invisible along the line around the bay, and almost all of them are burned to the ground, the base headquarters in the north of the main port is gone, the naval club is gone, the barracks are also gone, and even the flagpoles where the naval flag and the Japanese flag were originally hung have disappeared without a trace, leaving only patches of scorched black earth.

There were ruins and ruins everywhere, and some small black spots were moving on the once bustling town, and when the plane lowered the altitude to a thousand meters, Tada Jun could see clearly that it was the survivors of the fire who were busy in the rubble, looking in vain for some remnants, but what else could be preserved after such a fire?

As the passenger plane rose in altitude and flew towards Tokyo again, Nagano Shushen was already so angry that he couldn't help himself: "Sasebo has become what he is now, Tojo Hideki really can't atone for his sins, it's hard to believe, Your Majesty just let him retire and retire, such a punishment is too light!" ”

Tada Jun smiled bitterly in his heart, Tojo Hideki was obviously taking the blame for Hirohito's reckless decision-making, Hirohito was grateful for his loyalty and willingness to be punished heavily, he smiled bitterly, and said to Nagano Xiu: "I heard that the loss of Tokyo is also very large, not only the port area, but also the Imperial Palace, the military headquarters, and the Diet building were destroyed by missiles, as well as the Yasukuni Shrine and the surrounding neighborhoods were also burned, Nagano-kun must have enough psychological preparation!" ”

Nagano Xiu sat down in his seat and shook his head again and again: "I suddenly understand now why Tada-kun and Ishihara-kun are bent on shrinking their defense, who can defend in the face of such a long-range attack?" If the empire does not decisively move its industrial center to Australia, then no one will be able to work in peace in the future, because the threat of death is everywhere...... It is a pity that the empire has fallen to this point, and it is sad! ”

Tada Jun didn't answer, his heart was heavy, and he fell into thinking again.

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