The commander-in-chief of the "Rice Expedition Army" sat upright for a few minutes without squinting, and then bowed slightly.

"You have come from afar, and ......you have worked hard," said the commander-in-chief bluntly, "and first of all, I would like to inform you of an unfortunate statistic: since the beginning of the war in the middle of this month, as of ten o'clock this morning, the number of our troops has been close to forty thousand. Of these, 19,300 were killed, more than 18,400 were wounded, and hundreds were missing. Lost 300 aircraft and 17 ships. This figure does not include the large amount of war materiel lost......"

“…… All the soldiers, for the heroic "jade shattered" officers and soldiers of our empire, in order to bless their souls to return home safely, a minute of silence! ”

In the early days of the war, the Philippines and Hawaii were so threatened that the US military did not take the US [***] team seriously at all, and the Minister of War of the Cabinet, Senior General Sugiyama Moto, once arrogantly declared: Within a few months, the entire US army on the west coast will be completely annihilated. However, half a month has passed, and the superior army, the army, navy, and air force have not only failed to destroy the main force of the US army, but have also failed to occupy Los Angeles, a major city on the west coast. Commander-in-Chief Itagaki's old cheeks turned blue-gray in the pale light, and he wholeheartedly lamented that he had failed to fulfill the Emperor's trust.

There was a chaotic sound of riding boots outside the door, and a lieutenant general wearing a yellow tweed cloak and gold-rimmed glasses appeared at the door of the conference room and reported loudly: "...... I'm sorry I'm late, please take care of me! ”

A gentle smile appeared on the commander-in-chief's face, and he nodded and asked the lieutenant general to sit down beside him.

“…… This is Hosokawa-kun, who has just flown from Tokyo, General Yoichi Hosokawa, vice secretary of the War Department of the base camp......" The commander-in-chief's gaze swept over the audience, and his voice immediately returned to its previous sternness, "...... Ladies and gentlemen, I know that some of you must be wondering why the Commander-in-Chief chose to hold a meeting in the fiercely fought city of Los Angeles instead of on a safe aircraft carrier, and if the enemy gets the news, aren't we in great danger?! ”

“…… Hi Yi! ”

The general who had previously complained about this kind of complaint immediately felt like an electric shock and apologized to his superiors.

"The sacred holy war against rice has been going on for so long, and the imperial army has only advanced twenty kilometers after landing, which shows that the people of the rice country do have a very tenacious fighting spirit, and I invite the commanders of the division to the city for a meeting, just to remind everyone, let you listen to the sound of the enemy's guns. The enemy's army has not been wiped out and is still fighting......"

Just as there was a rumbling shelling nearby, the dust from the roof shook and fell on the table, and the suppressed anger of the commander-in-chief exploded in an instant.

“…… Soldiers of the Empire, this is your shame! Where is the bushido spirit of the Imperial Army? His Majesty the Emperor has entrusted you with honor, and will the invincible Imperial Army use the defeat to humiliate His Majesty the Holy Emperor?! ”

"When I was summoned by His Majesty in the Imperial Palace, His Majesty was fortunate to give two quotations: 'Overcome all difficulties' and 'To his loyalty'. I regard it as sacred, motivate myself every night, and dare not slack off...... If the imperial army can't quickly destroy the Mi [***] team, it is not brave; Not being able to occupy Los Angeles, San Francisco, and even the entire United States is the greatest disloyalty! ……”

The commander-in-chief suddenly felt some difficulty breathing.

General Itagaki suffered from a variety of chronic respiratory diseases in his old age, and the fierce fighting and the hot and humid weather in the Los Angeles area severely damaged his lung health, and he sometimes had to wear an oxygen mask to direct the battle.

“…… In order to fulfill the sacred mission entrusted to him by His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire, the base camp drew up a strategic plan for a large-scale attack. Hosokawa-kun from Tokyo explained the plan......"

Lieutenant General Yoichi Hosokawa pointed to the huge military map and explained succinctly: "Ladies and gentlemen, in view of the large number of troops invested by the enemy in Los Angeles, the base camp is determined to shift the strategic focus from the northern battlefield to the southern theater and destroy all the enemy's main forces here. "He drew a large circle in the protruding triangle of Haikou with a very delicate horsewhip," he said...... The implementation of this strategic plan consisted of three interrelated campaigns: the front, still with five to six divisions as the main force, always maintaining strong pressure on the enemy in Los Angeles and always ready to take Los Angeles. On the right, a main division landed on the flank, in the northeast, and then quickly interspersed along the north bank to the south. ”

“…… Our army has placed the most important strategic striking force on the left flank of the battlefield. The three elite divisions were covertly transported by naval vessels, bypassing the entire Haikou salient, making a 200-kilometer detour to the enemy's weakly defended position in the bay to carry out the landing, and then expanding the results of the battle into the interior at a lightning speed, cutting off the enemy's retreat in one fell swoop, and accomplishing the strategic task of encircling the Mi [***] squadron......"

General Motomoto sat upright, his facial expressions tensed, and greeted the arrival of a major decisive battle with the solemn attitude peculiar to the Yamato nation.

The commander-in-chief waved his hand, and one of the guards respectfully held a chrysanthemum command knife from the imperial gift.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the commander-in-chief announced with both hands on the chrysanthemum command knife, "...... In the name of the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Rice Dispatch Army, I issued an order: the original division structure and position of the frontal front line will remain unchanged, and the 16th Division Kimura Hyotaro will be appointed as the commander of the right flank, and the division will be commanded to take charge of the interspersed and diversionary tasks. ”

“…… Lieutenant General Yoichi Hosokawa was appointed commander of the newly formed 10th Army Corps, under the command of the 6th, 18th, and 114th Divisions and the 9th Brigade of Taro Nakanaga, with a total of 100,000 troops to make a covert detour to the flank of the bay and land, cut off two road and railway arteries, and complete the complete encirclement of the enemy in Los Angeles......"

“…… The Great War is imminent, and the fate of the empire is in one fell swoop. I swear to His Majesty the Emperor with this sword: If this battle is lost, Seishiro Itagaki will commit suicide by disembowelment to apologize! ”

At the end of the meeting, Commander-in-Chief Itagaki watched his generals depart, and a convoy of armored vehicles would escort them to the riverside pier and then return to their respective units on warships. The drizzle in the sky gradually subsided, but the wind blowing by the river was cold, and there was still fighting somewhere in the northeast corner of the city, and the artillery fire reflected the dark and dreary sky from time to time.

The last to get on board was Lieutenant General Hosokawa, who walked quickly to the commander-in-chief and gave a military salute.

"Please take care of your health, Commander-in-Chief, Hosokawa will never live up to the trust of the front army!"

"Hosokawa-kun's personal expedition is the glory of our imperial officers and soldiers." The commander-in-chief bowed slightly, held the lieutenant general's hand and said, "...... Waiting for the news of victory. Please! ”

A mighty Imperial task force is on standby on the seas.

Vice Admiral Yoichi Hosokawa, commander of the 10th Army, boarded the flagship "Mino" super battleship in the drizzle and shook hands with Rear Admiral Shimomura Massuke, commander of the task force, Vice Admiral Saigo, commander of the advance division, and the commanders of the divisions.

“…… The 6th Army Division has boarded the ship and is waiting for your orders! ”

“…… The troops of the 18th and 114th Divisions of the Army have boarded the ship! ”

“…… The Imperial Task Force is ready, please ask the Commander for permission to set sail! ”

The commander stood solemnly, bowed deeply to the imperial flag flying high, and then gave the order to set sail.

With the waving of the flag-waving of the flag-whispering soldiers, the warships marched in a single formation to be inspected by the commander.

The first avant-garde to sail was the destroyers "Kikuun" and "Kwai Un", two sister ships with strong firepower that served as anti-submarine and escort missions at the front of the fleet. The behemoths of the aircraft carriers "Yunlong" and "Amagi" passed through the flagship under the escort of the frigates, and all the officers and men of the ship and the pilots of the air force lined up to salute the flagship. Then there were the various ships that carried the landing force, large and small, but the fleets were filled with steel and the noise of battle because they carried many troops.

The commander raised his binoculars and solemnly inspected the departure of his landing army, which was shouldering a great mission.

On the sea that stretched for more than ten miles, the special task force of the Empire, composed of more than 100 ships of various types, was neatly arranged in battle formation, and marched forward in a mighty way through the wind and waves. The wide sea seemed to have narrowed, and the turbulent waves were mercilessly crushed in front of this steel fleet, and the soldiers with steel helmets and spears shining like black rock sculptures, standing motionless on the deck of the ship in the face of the wind and waves, receiving the review of their commander's will to war.

An imperceptible grim smile appeared on the commander's face.

For an imperial general who longs to fight and lives on war, this is undoubtedly an exciting moment in history. He will lead this invincible army, land, sea, and air force to cut off the enemy's retreat in one fell swoop for 200 miles, and complete this miracle of war that encircled and annihilated hundreds of thousands of American troops. And this unprecedented landing battle will surely shake the whole world, and he will become an imperial hero on a par with General Nogi and Marshal Togo, and his name will be recorded in the history of imperial warfare.

Commander Hosokawa stood on the bridge and let the cold rain fall on his hot face, and he felt the blood swelling all over his body.

“…… Report to the general, now that the fleet has left the sea, please go back to the cabin and rest! ”

"The fleet stopped radio contact and remained silent." The commander ordered, "...... All American vessels, merchant and fishing vessels, found on the surface, were sunk. Fighters keep cruising in the air, and it is strictly forbidden to expose the combat intentions of our army! ”

On October 15, 1944, a powerful fleet of 100,000 landing troops sailed out of the sea. In order to create an illusion for the enemy, the task force sailed to the northern seas in full view of everyone during the day. As night fell, the dragon-like fleet with the lights on the control quietly made a 180-degree turn under the cover of the night, and headed straight for the landing site in the dead of night.

But I would not have known that their end would soon come.

Pacific Ocean, west coast of Canada.

On the sapphire sea, a giant aircraft carrier like a mountain is slowly moving. Looking down from the sky, you can clearly see the huge ice around the hull. There were also several "small" ships - battleships - around the aircraft carrier.

This aircraft carrier is the famous crew with a dazzling sky hanging above their heads. Lie said that when the sky is empty, it emits infinite power. But at a few tens of meters underwater - here is the depth at which the condenser is pumped on the aircraft carrier "Habakuk"), the temperature is still very low. The water is almost opaque, showing the blue of the bay currents, that unfathomable blue. The high-speed rotating propellers stirred up the deep blue water, and the huge navigation signs stretched out like mountains to the distant water antenna.

Like other warships, the aircraft carrier Habakuk is as wet inside and outside the ship. The steel plates on the outside of the lightning shield are covered with ice particles, and the inside of the ship is filled with pure distilled water that occurs naturally. The 610-meter-long giant elephant of war took a Turkish steam bath and sweated profusely. Small streams of damp water vapor flowed down and down from the floors, walls, ceilings, bulkheads, decks, and steel plates of this huge floating city.

On the "Habakuk", this icy dampness could not be avoided. As an unprecedented aircraft carrier, the "Habakuk" can be regarded as a new ship, with the same comfortable living facilities as an aircraft carrier, cruiser, and battleship. At the time of its design, the air conditioning technology had already been developed and was installed in it, because as a warship, especially in wartime, it did not need to be as light as possible, but even so, the mechanical wind that was constantly blowing inside the ship was also cold and damp.

The crew living in the cabin below the flight deck kept the temperature cool from dawn until late at night. This, of course, was caused by the combustion of several thousand gallons of oil in those huge main boilers that supplied steam to the huge turbines of the "Habakuk". The output of these steam turbines, which propel electric motors, is by far the largest for both merchant and warships. Of course, the heat emitted from these main boilers is also enormous. It is transmitted from the steel plates of the engine room to the entire ship by riveting and welding into a huge proportional integral steel hull. But the effect of hot seawater on the hull temperature is negligible, or even completely useless. As a result, the crew of the "Habakuk" ended up wearing sweat-soaked clothes and breathing humid air, which was not much better than the situation of the large ship floating in the water.

Soon after boarding the "Habakuk", the iceberg had a huge impact on the surnames of the crew. At first, these effects were not noticeable at all. No one loses their temper and finds faults, and this is a variant of the common hysteria of certain women in the army. On the contrary, the crew was quiet and relaxed, and although a fifth of the people on board were going to sea for the first time, there was no trouble in the daily life of the ship.

In the British Navy, a super-aircraft carrier such as the "Habakuk" had a much larger crew than an ordinary aircraft carrier or battleship. The establishment of "Habakuk" is 12,122 in peacetime and 13,951 in wartime. Despite the large number of crew members, there is still no room for nasty slackers on board. Crew members must have a high degree of self-consciousness surname. Those who remained on the ship were good, and the unqualified ones were eliminated. The motivation for enforcing the rules of conduct on the ship is habit, a good sportsmanship and the exemplary role of officers of all ranks (some are the direct superiors of the sailors, some are the young officers who can be seen at any time around them), so the new recruits who have just come to the ship are naturally imperceptible. War is a serious matter, and it does need to be carefully studied and implemented, but it is also essential to have fun in life.

By this time, "Habakuk" and its crew had been away from the coast of Canada for five days. Surrounded by escort ships, the Iceberg aircraft carrier sailed non-stop at a speed of 15 knots for five days and nights.

More than 500 recruits took part in the voyage of the "Habakuk". They were seventeen to eighteen years old, and their ranks ranged from second lieutenant to young captain, and none of them had ever stepped into the kingdom of the Sea King. All of them, regardless of age or rank, were subjected to a prank, and it was customary to take part in a series of naturalization ceremonies and swear allegiance to the supreme monarch of the sea.

Those who had proved that they had participated in the naturalization ceremony had already revealed to the entire crew that the ceremony would be perfect.

After five days of turbulence at sea, the crew has entered a normal life on board. The recruits all worked: signalmen, anti-aircraft gunners, pilots, aerial shooters, officers commanding a small group of sailors, ground crews, mechanics and mechanics, firefighters, butchers, bakers, cooks, medics, and clerks. They have become members of the big family of warships. However, as soon as the "veterans" began to look for "new people" on the ship, the newly established unity and friendship were completely destroyed for a while.

Even if it is a pure joke, according to the tradition of the Navy, it must be carried out in an orderly manner as in the past. Yes, this time there is an ancient ceremony. In each dining room or department on the ship, a preparatory ceremony is held for the recruits of that department in the evening and interrogations. Regardless of their rank and position, the newcomers were subjected to a preliminary trial, respectfully reprimanded by the court, which was made up entirely of veteran sadists, and scowled them out of a small sum of money to buy cigarettes, Coca-Cola, candy, or ice cream. These things were quickly swept away by the "veterans" who were waiting for them.

Each pre-trial court is headed by a President, and it is also staffed by a group of self-appointed judges, thugs, "mouthymen" and those known in the Navy as "little mouthymen". "Mouthy" of course refers to a slut who stands behind the contestant's back in any game. The "Little Mouthy" is the lowest level among the "Mouthy", as low as three "Little Mouthy" stepping on the shoulder and riding the Chengren ladder, and can walk under the belly of a snake, and will not touch the hat of the "Little Mouthy" standing at the top.

(To be continued)