The terrible night finally ended, and when the sun rose in the east, Yuda and his family climbed out of the cistern with pale faces and walked numbly home. Along the way, the familiar streets had all been charred, and the crackling wood and the broken rubble were littered with charred and twisted corpses. Some of them were no longer visible, huddled into a ball, and their stomachs burst and filled with a fishy smell. Even the hard cement was burned to an off-white color, and when you held it lightly with your hand, it immediately broke up into sand. It's not just the neighborhood where his house is located, but all of them are like this within a radius of more than ten kilometers. The area of Tokyo, which was once lined with rooftops, seems to have been swept away by a storm, and there are hardly any buildings standing upright! The poignant picture is reminiscent of the terrible Tokyo earthquake 20 years ago.

A beeping horn woke Yuda Kio and those people who were standing in the rubble at a loss, and turned their heads to see the sedan with the royal emblem flying towards a large group of military vehicles.

The car door opened, and Hirohito, accompanied by Anami Yuki and others, appeared in public. "It's the Emperor, His Majesty the Emperor." Amid the whispers, people fell to their knees, but the look of adoration and fanaticism on their faces was replaced by panic. "Your Majesty." Tojo and several cabinet ministers surrounded him, but were about to speak when Hirohito stopped them.

Hirohito stepped on the sewage and coke, and slowly walked forward, the more he walked, the tighter his brow became. Eventually, he stopped at the entrance of a bombed-out school, the school building and the building were no longer visible, except for the two gateposts still standing. He raised his head slightly, looked at the white and gray doorpost, stepped forward, broke off a piece of burnt cement, and shook it hard. The fine sand-like cement powder immediately flowed out of the cracks in the fingers. Why is that? Why is that! No one could understand his heart at the moment. This emperor was bent on learning Meiji and bringing Japan to the top of the world. At this moment, I realized that the pattern of war had long changed, and the sea was so vulnerable in the face of new weapons, and the opponent could already pierce the blade directly into his heart! What's more, this bombing completely told the Japanese that the victory advertised before was all a lie! Just look at the eyes around you to know how hard this slap is!

What an irony!

Although he knew that the situation of the battle was completely different from what the generals said. But he never gave up on his dream. He thought that one day, he would be able to turn the tide of the war in one fell swoop with another epic counterattack like the Tsushima Strait and Wake Island. But what I was waiting for was the devastated scene in front of me. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but choke with sadness: "Anan, look. ”

Anami served as the emperor's bodyguard. It can be said that the officer who is most familiar with Hirohito. At this moment, when I heard his trance-like voice, I suddenly screamed in my heart. Hurriedly bent down and said, "Your Majesty wants to mourn!" At this moment, it is an opportunity to publicize the atrocities of Shina to the whole country and inspire more imperial souls! Don't back down! Although the empire is difficult, we still have two gates, Okinawa and Korea. As long as it holds, it will have no chance to board our country. Now that the allies have made a lot of progress in Europe, it won't be long before the British ghost beasts will fail and surrender! So you can't hold back at this time! ”

Tojo, who was next to him, also hurriedly walked over, and he knew better. If Hirohito retreats, the most unlucky person will definitely be himself. So he also said excitedly: "Your Majesty, what Your Excellency Anan said is very reasonable. The empire is difficult, but not to the point of failure! If we retreat, we will be completely lost, as Germany was in 1918! The Yamato nation is really hopeless! ”

Yes, Okinawa and North Korea are still in their hands, how can they easily say defeat? Germany was able to recover from the last war because of its own strong industrial foundation. There is technology, there is coal and iron, and it is deep in the heart of the European continent. But what about Japan? Hanging alone in the open sea. The territory is narrow, and the local resources are even inferior to the United Kingdom, which is also an island country. Once you give up, you really don't have a chance! "National War! Start today! Tell the whole people about the brutality of China! Let everyone understand that this is a battle of national fortunes! Hirohito, who had figured it out, turned colder and colder, roared loudly, and trampled the rubble.

The words of continuing the war rippled in the rubble, and Anan and Tojo glanced at each other and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Only Togo Shigetoku behind him sighed in his heart, and turned his head to see that Yuda Norio and other ordinary residents had quietly disappeared at the end of the city at some point.

The impact of the bombing on March 23 was so great that Hirohito, after inspecting the damage in Tokyo, gave a speech condemning the bombing and massacre, vowing to fight to the death. The military department also called up soldiers again, requiring all Japanese citizens who have reached the age of 14 but are not yet 45 years old to receive military training and be prepared for the defense of the homeland. The atmosphere in Okinawa and North Korea was even more tense, especially in Okinawa, where the army also opened warehouses and distributed grenades to every Japanese immigrant family, asking everyone to be ready to be loyal to the emperor!

The tragic bombing not only shook Japan, but also the whole world! With the launch of the "Typhoon" plan to counterattack Japan, the first phase of the "rainbow bombing" was so terrifying that even Chennault and other American pilots, who had observed the entire bombing process, were attracted and realized for the first time the tremendous role of strategic bombing.

The day after Hirohito's speech, Yang Qiu also gave another national address. While thanking the pilots for their outstanding contributions, he also said that the bombing would continue until Japan completely laid down all its weapons and surrendered unconditionally! All cities, buildings, roads, bridges, docks, etc., as long as they are judged to be military targets during this period, are within the scope of bombing! Finally, he also implicitly hinted that the emperor system was the main culprit of the war. This speech undoubtedly stimulated both sides, and although the air battle of Britain and the bombardment of the Urals were already showing signs of strategic bombing, the two sides were still relatively restrained at that time, mainly destroying each other's industrial capabilities. But the "rainbow bombing" was a well-planned systematic destruction of a country, destroying the war capabilities of the enemy country from all sides! In the year that followed, bombardment also extended to rural farmland and mountainous areas, strafing farming cattle and horses, dropping millions of mines on paddy fields and roads, and blocking shipping lanes and seaports with submarines and airplanes.

On the third day after Yang Qiu's speech, the old gentleman declared that the "rainbow bombing" operation was the most important turning point for the Allies since the start of the war, and also clamored to learn from the Chinese Air Force and bomb Germany back to the Stone Age! The US military also felt the pressure from the other side of the Pacific Ocean, and on the one hand, it hastened its pace to set up its own strategic bombing command to specialize in studying methods for striking opponents through strategic bombing. On the one hand, it accelerated the production of B-17 and B-24 bombers, and began to study the application of the "rainbow bombing" model to the European theater.

However, compared with Japan, which has sparse air defense, the bombing of the US military in Europe did not go well. On 30 March, seven days after the "rainbow bombing" began, the US military also experimentally dispatched 126 B-17 bombers carrying incendiary bombs to bomb Bremen at night. However, the result was a big disappointment, and when the American bomber group reached the sky over Bremen, it was immediately intercepted by a large group of BF110 night fighters. In the end, 47 B-17s were shot down in one go, setting a record for the most bombers shot down at one time since the beginning of the war, forcing Eisenhower to order a moratorium on bombing experiments.

The experiment failed because of the inexperience of the American military and the unusually tenacious German air defense capabilities, but Britain and the United States did not give up, on the contrary, the two countries actively cooperated to accelerate the research of new tactics and new ammunition.

But the fierce "rainbow bombardment" certainly didn't come to the continent so quickly. Because no matter how fierce Churchill's clamor was, in fact strategic bombing required a very, very large amount of materials, the fragile Atlantic shipping lanes could not support the huge material needs of long-term strategic bombing until the German navy and submarines were completely resolved. So in this regard, Britain and the United States are far inferior to the Chinese Air Force, which has been preparing for this for several years. Therefore, for Britain and the United States, the current priority is to gain a foothold in North Africa and the Mediterranean as soon as possible, recapture Malta, completely defeat the German navy, and ensure the smooth passage of the Atlantic Ocean.

Hitler and the Germans understood this as well, even with Malta. Italy's pitiful supply capacity in the Mediterranean cannot support the North African Corps for a long time, so whether the Strait of Gibraltar can be completely closed will be the key to the successful completion of the Greater Mediterranean plan! Only when the Mediterranean Sea becomes an inland sea can the German army continue to develop eastward.

The temporarily quiet southern Europe finally ushered in the spring breeze, and the snow gradually melted on the towering and steep Pyrenees, converging into a clear spring that poured into the gentle southern slopes. The turquoise shoots grow rapidly under the nourishment of the snow water. Shepherd girl. Pluck unknown flowers. Curled into a wreath of flowers, frolicking and worn on the head. Herds of sheep and cattle passed by them. Running towards the deeper meadows.

A Junkers JU52 transport plane broke the tranquility of the mountains, and countless black iron crosses destroyed the country everywhere under the wings made people breathe nervously. The plane followed the valley of the Essera River and landed in the quiet border town of Benasque. In this small city, which is almost isolated from the rest of the world, there are many strange figures today. From behind their windows, the inhabitants of the city watched with fear as the Phalangist agents blocked off the only road to the outside, listening to the kicking of their boots on the ground and clinging to their children.

"Welcome, Monsieur Ribbentrop." Spanish Minister of the Interior and Foreign Affairs Sunel, dressed in a military uniform, stood on the airport with a smile on his face, and when he saw Ribbentrop get out of the plane, he took three steps and two steps to meet him. That kind of enthusiasm even the entourages on both sides were secretly surprised. But in fact, Ribbentrop had a very bad face, and if he could choose, he would rather deal with the moody Stalin than with this "Barcelona miser".

You must know that in order to persuade Spain to enter the war, this is the seventh time in half a year that he has met with Sunel alone, and during the negotiations, he promised countless materials, and even promised to jointly manage Gibraltar and hand over French West Africa to Spain after the war, but Sunel and Franco have always gritted their teeth. What's even more annoying is that the smiles on these guys' faces haven't changed from beginning to end!

"Your Excellency Sunel, this is the eighth time we've met, right? Hopefully this time there will be a good ending. Ribbentrop nodded before looking around: "What a beautiful place, this is my first time in the Pyrenees." ”

Sunel kept the smile of a career diplomat, as if he hadn't heard the taunt just now: "It's a pity. In fact, we also have very good vineyards in Spain. ”

The corners of Ribbentrop's mouth twitched, and anyone who knew his background should know that his marriage to the daughter of his German champagne maker in 1920 was the beginning of his entry into high society. Because of this, he won the favor of his aunt, and finally succeeded to her name, and had the surrender of the nobles. This was well known in German aristocratic circles, and those who attacked him were always on the lips and ridiculed his title as "of unknown origin". Now Sunel deliberately said the vineyard, clearly to hit the ridicule he had just made.

Ribbentrop, who was full of sulkness, lost even the interest in going around in circles. After saying a few words, he went straight to the point: "Your Excellency Sunel, has Prime Minister Franco thought about it?" The Führer and we in Germany really hope that you will join us. ”

"Well." Sunel deliberately pondered for a moment before he said slowly: "Mr. Foreign Minister, Prime Minister Franco has held several meetings to study and is very willing to provide manpower and military help, and he has also begun to form volunteers. But other members of Congress have some misgivings about joining your country in the war. So we need time. However, if your country can provide some support, I am sure that the parliamentarians will gradually change their attitude. Sunel's words are true and false. In order not to completely tear his face with Hitler, Franco was indeed forming volunteer soldiers, providing weapons and equipment and secret training bases, and constantly selling the materials provided by Britain and the United States to Germany at low prices. But when it comes to joining the Axis, Franco is reluctant. First, Britain and the United States are currently at a disadvantage. But the two countries have not yet reached their full strength. The United States, in particular, is in an invincible position and has a powerful industrial capacity, and when the military exercises its experience, it will become very terrifying. Second, the Spanish Civil War had just ended, and there were many guerrillas and separatists in the country, and after the start of the war in North Africa, these people became more and more rampant, and there were still many places where there was famine, and the lack of national strength was really unaffordable.

But these clichés sounded to Ribbentrop a rejection. Annoyed, he said: "Your Excellency Sunel, hasn't the Führer already promised to support? I would like to remind you! This war is no longer an ordinary conflict, it has evolved into an intercontinental war! It's the Americas, Asia against Europe! The loser will lose his place in the world forever! Let's not forget that Beijing and Washington have been emphasizing the abolition of colonies and the granting of autonomy to colonial peoples. If we fail, not only will you Spain have no chance of retaking Gibraltar, but you will also lose all of your overseas territories. Because the people there will choose autonomy and independence with the support of China and the United States. ”

Ribbentrop spoke eloquently and analyzed the gains and losses in simple terms. But Sunel didn't listen to a word. Because in the previous negotiations. He had asked Germany for military support from 10 new 380mm long-range shore defense guns, hundreds of JU87s and BF109s and other aircraft. He also hoped to receive 800,000 tons of oil, 800,000 tons of wheat, 100,000 tons of cotton, 25,000 tons of rubber and 660,000 tons of fertilizer every year.

You must know that before the United States entered the war, Franco really considered entering the war, so he specially asked Germany to support 10 long-range large-caliber heavy guns and hundreds of bombers. In this way, Spain would be able to deploy artillery and aircraft close to Gibraltar, retake the fortress of its dreams, block the only link between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and turn the Mediterranean into an inland lake for the Axis powers. At that time, the Italian and Spanish naval fleets would run rampant in the Mediterranean, British oil and food supplies in the Far East would be cut off, and the passage to Central Europe would be cut off.

However, Hitler refused these military supports, and instead repeatedly demanded that Spain declare its entry into the war first, and also demanded that the Balearic Islands be leased to the German army, and that only if these conditions were met could they be supported. But how can this work?! If we don't get these key weapons and supplies after entering the war, with the current Spanish military strength, I am afraid that they will not be able to hold on for even three weeks.

So as the United States entered the war, Franco's mind to enter the war gradually faded, and while perfunctory Hitler, he hooked up with Britain and the United States.

Ribbentrop knew the Spaniards' mind, of course, but Germany really couldn't afford to wait!

Without the blockade of Gibraltar, Malta and the dismal Italian Navy alone would not have lasted long. Once the United States recovers from the Battle of Wake Island, it will be able to commit several times its fleet to sweep across the Mediterranean. In addition, the Japanese navy is likely to fail in the near future, and when the three major naval powers of China, the United States, and Britain join forces, the Mediterranean Sea will become the inner lake of the alliance. At that time, let alone continue to attack Turkey and the Middle East, I am afraid that even Italy will be lost. So he suppressed his anger and said tactfully: "Your Excellency Sunel, please rest assured, as long as your country agrees to enter the war, you promise to bring the necessary weapons and supplies immediately. ”

"No, no, no." Sunel shook his head like a rattle: "Mr. Foreign Minister, it will be difficult for us to convince the MPs without substantial assistance. ”

"These ungrateful Spaniards!" Seeing that this guy didn't eat oil and salt, Ribbentrop scolded in his heart, and he couldn't wait to arrest Sunel back and let the Gestapo teach him a good lesson.

Only now did he realize what a difficult and small-bellied opponent he had encountered this time. Of course, he can't just go back like this, since he can't talk to Sunel, he can only continue to talk to Franco. So he asked angrily: "Excuse me, when will Prime Minister Franco arrive?" ”

"Tomorrow afternoon." Sunel still had a smile on his face.

The latest chapter of the peerless Tang Gate