Before the war, no one knew that there was an island called New Britain Island in the South Pacific Ocean, 5,100 kilometers away from Tokyo, and still less did they know that there was a port called Rabaul on New Britain Island.

It was once the stage for the performance of the savage forces of nature. A prehistoric volcanic eruption created a large volcanic lake with a gap, into which seawater poured into it, turning it into a natural harbor.

The inhabitants of Rabaul were often plagued by volcanoes and earthquakes, but the Japanese did not care, and since they replaced the Australians as Rabaul's masters in 42, they have not only stayed comfortably, but also turned Rabaul into a huge military station and fortress.

Today, Rabaul has become a famous place, and the war has completely changed its appearance.

Daishio Heiuchi Hiroshi Shaozo took a car to the headquarters of the Eighth Front Army. It had just set up its military headquarters in Rabaul, and it was still an empty shelf.

The new commander was Lieutenant General Jun Imamura, former commander of the 16th Army. Oshiohira used to be a staff officer in the Tokailin detachment in the Dutch East Indies and knew General Imamura.

Imamura was recognized as a first-rate Confucian general in the Japanese Army, gentle and elegant, with wisdom and courage and strategy, and won the support of his subordinates.

When Daishiohei heard the news that Lieutenant General Imamura was in charge, he thought that there was hope for the war on Kuah Island. He is now reporting to the front headquarters.

Jeeps from the U.S. Army drove on uneven dirt roads with deep rutted ditches on the red mud roads. The jungle on both sides of the road has been thinned into clearings with dense gray tents. Between the tents, the canvas was covered with boxes of ammunition, mountain artillery and military supplies. The anti-aircraft guns raised their muzzles to the sky. Along the way, barracks, hospitals, warehouses, fuel tanks, airfields, vehicles, and soldiers are everywhere. There is even a group of North Korean prostitutes of more than 300 people, and Rabaul is busy and busy, like a super hive.

General Imamura received Daishiohei Shaozo in a luxurious house in the old Australian Governor's House: "Daishiohei-kun, it's a pleasure to see you here. Any good news?" General Imamura wears glasses and has the temperament of an ordinary intellectual.

Staff Officer Da Yanping reported on the fighting in Guadalcanal. In particular, he mentioned the failure of the attack of the 2nd Division and the obstruction of the 38th Division's transportation.

He said that the troops on Kuah Island were facing the worst level of hunger, and that the local soldiers were in very poor physical condition, and that twice as many officers and men died of starvation, edema, and various tropical diseases as in battle.

Speaking of the detachment of Lin Juncheng in the East China Sea that he got along with day and night, those 4,000 elite soldiers in Southeast Asia and the island of Java, Anlitan and Bandung, were sunk in the "Narrow Mouth" Strait, and their bones were gone. Big Yanping sobbed. Beside oneself.

Imamura took off his glasses and wiped them with a silk handkerchief: "In the Dutch East Indies Campaign, the Maruyama Division and the Sano Division were under my command. With only these two divisions, plus one division and one brigade later, our army conquered a vast territory with an area equivalent to 70 million people in Europe. Our army suffered only 840 casualties. And for the capture of an airfield. Neither of the two most elite divisions. I didn't see it with my own eyes, and I didn't believe it myself. ”

The lieutenant general put back on his glasses and said to the emotional staff officer: "I just came. Nothing is understood. Da Yanping-kun, can you help me analyze the situation in the Solomon Islands?"

"The war in the Solomon Islands is unlike any previous war of our army. It is a three-dimensional war in which the three aspects of the sea, land, and air are closely integrated. In order to gain air supremacy, it was necessary to capture the airfield of Kuah Island with infantry, and in order to ensure the success of the infantry, it was necessary to shell the airfield and cover the transport ships with the fleet, while the Chinese aircraft and warships threatened and prevented our artillery bombardment and sea reinforcements, the purpose of which was to assist the enemy's marines in holding the airfield. ”

Lieutenant General Imamura interjected: "In the past, Americans called it Henderson Airport. Nowadays the Chinese call it Karnal Airport. There has never been a moment when this airport was named by us Japanese. ”

"Yes. In this three-dimensional war, although we have considerable support from the United States. However, the purpose of our army and China is basically the same, and China's weapons and equipment are still higher than those of the United States. Moreover, for a long time, the command structure of our army underestimated the strength and determination of the enemy.

First with a detachment, then with a brigade, and finally with a whole division to attack a reinforced marine division of the enemy with good air protection. Our army did not have enough food, there was too little artillery, the rear was too far, the transport was very dangerous, and the enemy was the opposite. In addition, our army did not anticipate the factor of the rainforest on Kuah Island, and only relied on the white-knuckle tactics and the spirit of daring to die in dealing with a weak enemy in the past, and did not know the enemy's situation and firepower, and the result of defeat was inevitable.

Sun Yu's Art of War: 'Ten are surrounded, five are attacked, and the times are divided, the enemy can fight, less can escape, and if not, it can be avoided, so the small enemy is strong, and the big enemy is captured. 'Because of the successive victories of our army at the beginning of the war, our army from top to bottom has contempt for the art of war. However, against the Chinese army, it is precisely because of our arrogance that our army will be severely damaged by China again and again, and the defeat on Kuah Island is also an inevitable result. ”

The staff members of the old headquarters of the 17th Army of Lieutenant General Baiwu looked at Da Yanping with great disgust. An unknown young man, with his book-chewing student tone, dared to slander the important combat operations approved by the emperor and formulated by the military department. One of the staff officers, Michio Kato, pointed to the tip of Daishiohei's nose:

"Nonsense, our army was one to ten on the battlefield in Southeast Asia. Even in the battles of Singapore, Burma, the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies, fewer won more. General Imamura, Da Shiohei Shaozo dared to slander the military might, and I suggest that His Excellency the General should be relieved of his post and let him be sent to the battlefield of Kuah Island as a soldier. At that time, he knew that when Paozawa was starving, bleeding and dying, he should not talk nonsense like flies. ”

"I'm not done yet, please bear with Kato-kun." Da Yanping did not seem to be angry about it, and continued: "The victory of our army in the South Seas in the past was due to the supremacy of the sea and the air, and the enemy was surrounded and demoralized. This is not the case at all in Guadalcanal. Who here would dare to deny the courage of the Chinese pilots, sailors, and marines?

We did not have air supremacy, after the Third Battle of the Solomons, after the loss of the battleships Hiei and Kirishima. Forced by the advance of the Chinese Pacific Fleet, the Japanese-US Combined Fleet began to shrink its forces and temporarily lost its sea supremacy, so the 38th Division was attacked by air and all its equipment and a large number of personnel sank into the Narrow Mouth Strait. If we don't acknowledge these facts, we will fail. ”

Imamura nodded, signaling for Shiohei to sit down. The whole hall is bejeweled, with expensive old mahogany furniture and stained glass embedded in the windows. Large crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling. The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive. The elegant Lieutenant General Imamura could not ease the tension of his staff.

Imamura said to the people, "I am flying to Rabaul for the war on Kuah Island. Let's talk about it, how many troops are needed to conquer the airfield?"

Opinions differ, because no one can pick out how many troops the Chinese army has deployed on Kuah Island. But everyone tended to be on the high side, thinking that at least six divisions were needed.

Imamura smiled: "Our army is all over Australia and our islands. In total, there were only twenty-four divisions. Click here to analyze. Except for the transfer of Australian troops, there is no way to recover Guadalcanal!"

The staff were silent. It's one thing to suggest, and it's another thing to actually do it. It is not difficult to point and draw on a military map. It is not so easy to really deploy troops on the battlefield and conquer cities.

Da Yanping Shaozo stood up again: "I think four divisions are enough. ”

The staff officers glared at him in amazement, accusing him of jumping from the extremes of defeatism to the theory of quick victory. Only General Imamura nodded: "I think so too." At the base camp, according to my suggestion, the Eighth Front Army was assigned to two armies: the Seventeenth Army and the Eighteenth Army. The 6th and 51st Divisions of Lieutenant General An Da 23 of the Eighteenth Army were to be transferred from the Australian Line. ”

Even Da Yanping's eyes widened: "Is it the former Kwantung Army unit that was originally transferred to Australia?"

"Yes. However, the problem is not solved. The problem with Kuah is not that we don't have enough people or supplies, but that we can't get there safely. Imamura said.

Da Yanping Shaozo continued: "According to my war games, under the conditions of general air cover and sea escort, the Kuah Island fleet lost 20 percent of the outward journey. Fifty percent of the loss of unloading and 20 percent of the loss of the return journey. It is a naval problem and an air force problem, and we must suppress the airfields of the Chinese army from the sea and from the air. ”’

General Imamura said slowly, "It's very difficult! Since the failure of the 38th Division, the Pacific Fleet has taken control of this sea area, and at present, if the sea situation does not change, the Navy refuses to send ships to the waters of Kuah Island. They believe that the Navy's greatest enemy is close at hand, and they must recuperate to deal with the Chinese Navy's fleet. Moreover, surface ships are used in naval warfare, and valuable battleships, heavy cruisers, and destroyers can no longer be sacrificed in narrow sea areas. Since the beginning of the war, the losses of destroyers have become unbearable. 'You can't accompany the entire combined fleet for one airfield. That's their conclusion. ”

"The Army is in serious conflict with the government on this issue. At the meeting of the commanders of the army and navy, all the participants unanimously agreed that once the Second Division conquered the airport, the navy would immediately dismiss 90,000 tons of civilian ships, and the army would be prepared to dismiss 130,000 tons of ships. Oil, coal, iron ore, grain, and other materials are urgently needed for production and livelihood in Japan, and they must be transported by civilian ships. Due to the rampant activities of Chinese submarines, the tonnage of civilian ships has dropped sharply, and even the supplies supported by the United States have dropped again and again, and it is no longer possible to ensure the production of 3.5 million tons of steel next year. Without these steels, the Greater East Asia War would not have been sustainable. ”

"Due to the failure of the attack of the 2nd Division, the army and navy not only could not fire civilian ships, but also had to further forcibly requisition civilian ships. In the Third Battle of the Solomons, 11 civilian ships were lost and 80,000 tons were lost. On 18 May, the Navy applied to the Planning Institute (the economic planning agency of the Japanese central government) for an additional levy of 250,000 tons. Two days earlier than the Navy, the Army also applied for an additional 370,000 tons, for a total of 620,000 tons. On May 20, at a cabinet meeting, the government approved an additional 270,000 tons. The Army argues that this should not include the 85,000 tons lost in Kuah. The director of the military affairs bureau said: Not only has it already been included, but it will also dismiss 180,000 tons of civilian ships in the first quarter of next year, otherwise, civilian ships will not be requisitioned. Because at present, all shipyards in Japan are producing warships, and civilian ships cannot be lined up at all, and one is sunk and one is missing. If it continues to be reduced, Japan's economic life is bound to collapse. ”

Da Yanping thought secretly: "War is a matter of arithmetic. Knowing this, why did Japan, which has a steel output of only 5 million tons, go to war with China, which has a steel output of 80 million tons? ”

Imamura continued. Major General Shinichi Tanaka, Chief of Army Operations, was furious about this and asked the commander-in-chief to intervene, but Director Sato did not back down, and the two fought at the meeting. Deputy Chief of Staff Tanabe and President Suzuki came forward to mediate the arbitration. In the end, Prime Minister Tojo said, "The Cabinet has promised to transfer an additional 85,000-ton ship to the Army, no matter how difficult it is." As a compromise, the army dismissed Tanaka from his post as minister, and soon he came to fight in the South Seas.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the domestic front is also very difficult. We're still going to do it. Take Guadalcanal down. ”

"I'll have one last question." Da Shiohing Shaozo finally mustered up his courage. "We're already stretched thin. And why haven't we seen a repeated increase in aircraft, warships and troops on the part of the Chinese army. According to Captain Noguchi Intelligence on Kuah Island, New Guinea's Chinese Jungle Army troops have begun to land on Kuah Island. Our side has a total of 207 bombers and fighters in the Solomon Theater, while the Chinese side has 360 planes, of which 160 are heavy Djinn bombers.

Over time. The Chinese army will have more supplies and personnel moved from the North African theater to the Pacific side. According to a telegram sent back by Major General Sato Kai, deputy chief of staff of the 17th Army, after inspecting the front line on Kuah Island, "Most of the 2nd Division has lost its fighting spirit. The rest barely maintained their current defensive line. The situation was critical, and if the 38th Division could maintain supplies, it would only be able to engage in defensive warfare to the maximum extent possible in the next month. Our army has been without food for six days. Guarding the trenches were the dying, who had only one breath left.

"Commander Imamura, I have fought with many units of the Seventeenth Army, and I know what a brilliant record they have had, and the situation has developed to such a point-" Da Shiohei Shaozo looked around for a moment, and said clearly: "While we are still able, we will not send the troops of the Eighteenth Army to Kuah Island, but withdraw the remnants of the Seventeenth Army from Guadalcanal." ”

All of a sudden, there was a commotion all around. All the people came to attack the Great Salt Ping:

"Traitor!"

"Traitor!"

"Bastard!"

"You forgot that the bones of thousands of comrades-in-arms are on Kuah Island." “

Remove him from his post and let him go to Kuah Island to carry a gun. ”

"According to you, we shouldn't have started a war at all."

The noise is endless. Only Lieutenant General Imamura did not move. After everyone calmed down, he only said one sentence: "The meeting is now adjourned." ”

Da Shiohei rushed out of the crowd besieging him and walked back towards the camp. Some officers beat him, and some spit on him. Friends who usually get along with each other are now enemies. Everyone thinks that Da Yanping desecrated the military flag and desecrated the souls of his dead comrades.

Only he himself felt relieved because he had said something that had been accumulated for a long time. He didn't know if Lieutenant General Imamura had understood it and what measures he would take? Reinforcement or withdrawal? As a staff officer, he has done his best.

Light grey and purple-grey clouds gathered and tumbled over Rabaul, and a heavy rain was coming. The ground is not yet dry, and when it rains, it turns into a mud pool. The tropics have a rainy season, and fighting in the rainy season is very unfavorable to the attacking side.

Da Yanping walked, and when he turned in front of the root of a tall banyan tree, he shot "pop", and a bullet flying from behind hit the banyan tree, and the crumbling bark fell into his neck. The muzzle of the gun is raised high, which is a threat.

The staff of the 17th Army faced the greatest defeat in the history of the Japanese Army, like red-eyed gamblers, who wanted to drag down the combined fleet of the War Department and the Navy, continue to reinforce Kuah Island, recapture the airfield, and save face. Doesn't he have an impact on General Imamura, you must do what they say, otherwise I'm sorry.

"It's still as willful as the 226 incident!" Big Shiohei thought. He shook his shoulders, shook off the debris, and continued on his way. The jeep he was in had already been snatched away by the gang.

The rain fell, and Rabaul was covered in a steaming steamer, and the rain curtain covered all the trees and everything, and the great salt was getting harder and harder to walk in the mud. He still walked with his chest held out and walked like a soldier or a nobleman. Daishiodaira is one of the oldest aristocratic surnames in Muto, Japan.

A muddy jeep caught up behind him, overtook him, and came to a screeching halt five or six meters in front of him. The door opened, and a bespectacled general stuck his head out of the door, and the rain immediately drenched him. He is Lieutenant General Jun Imamura.

"Hey, Da Yan Pingjun, are you still angry? Come on, I'll give you a ride. ”

Imamura couldn't help but say that he pulled up the big salt flat, and the car drove again. The rain was so heavy that the wipers on the jeep's windshield became an ornament.

"Your remarks today are very insightful." Lieutenant General Imamura said.

"I said what I had to say. It's time for the military department to correct its mistakes. ”

Lieutenant General Imamura was silent, he remained silent. "He's quite a general." Big Shiohei thought.

The car drove to the station of Dayanping. Da Yanping thanked him, and after saluting the commander, he turned around to leave. Imamura stopped him:

"I will personally visit Guadalcanal, if everything is as you say. So—" He paused, weighing the weight of his words. "I will do everything I can to get the decision of the military department to withdraw from Guadalcanal."

The jeep drove away. Da Yanping Shaozuo's tears flowed down with the rain, and his face was hot. His only thought now was to find a place to cry heartily. More than anyone else, he wanted to capture Guadalcanal, because his younger brother, Private Daishio Heikeji, who was only twenty-one, died on the barbed wire fence on the edge of Henderson Airport. (To be continued......)